Anything You Can Do, We Can Do Better
by emilieparrilla
Summary: Teen fic! When Morgana saves Arthur, he refuses to tell anyone she did. Along with their servants, they set a challenge to decide who is better. But what crazy schemes will they come up with to decide who is superior? Who will win, the girls or the boys?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

A/N - This story is co-wrote with Morgana1992. We hope you enjoy it. 

_Arthur was running through the forest. A huge, bird-like beast was chasing him; its giant wings causing a permanent wind and its red eyes burning like embers. The bodies of fallen men lay around but the beast merely trampled on them. Arthur turned back to look at the rampaging beast and tripped over a tree root. His face was a picture of terror as the beast landed on top of him, slashing him mercilessly with its claws. It flew away, leaving Arthur lying with blood pooling around him. _

At the scream, Gwen rushed into Morgana's chambers with a candle.

"Arthur, Arthur," yelled Morgana, frantically trying to get out of her tangled sheets before shooting up.

"It's alright, Morgana. I'm here now," said Gwen softly, pulling Morgana to her and rocking her gently.

"Arthur, I need to get to Arthur," continued Morgana, attempting to get out of Gwen's embrace.

"You're safe, Morgana. Arthur is out hunting with the other knights," Gwen tried to tell her.

"It was so real, Gwen. He's in danger. The beast killed him," insisted Morgana, gulping in air "I saw him die Gwen."

"It's only a dream," continued Gwen, as Morgana started to cry.

Morgana was relentless. She wriggled out of Gwen's arms, her hair sticking to her forehead with sweat. She got up and instantly made to her wardrobe. She rummaged through, looking for suitable clothes. All she succeeded in finding was a pair of breeches and a shirt that were slightly small. Oh, well – they'd have to do.

As fast as she could, she went behind the screen and threw off her nightdress, pulling on the clothes.

"Morgana, you'll get yourself killed," said Gwen, worriedly.

"Don't worry about me," replied Morgana, finally calming down.

"You can't go out and fight alone," continued Gwen.

"I will just go to the Forest of Ascetir and warn Arthur," replied Morgana "If I leave now, I should just make it."

"Tell the king, he'll send as many knights as needed," said Gwen.

"And what am I to say. My lord, I saw Arthur die in a vision; you must send guards," said Morgana, tartly "I think that if I foresaw Arthur's death, he won't just let it slide. He'll have me burnt at the stake at dawn."

"Of course he will, my lady. I'm sorry," said Gwen.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Gwen," apologized Morgana "I know you're only trying to help, but I must do this, or Arthur will die."

"Ok, but keep yourself safe," replied Gwen.

Morgana hugged Gwen and then opened her door a fraction and slipped out. She ran down the corridors, pressing her body into the shadows as several guards marched past. If anyone seen her dressed in her riding clothes with her sword, they'd inform Uther straight away.

In the stables, she hurriedly saddled her white mare and then rode out of the city. She no longer cared if anyone saw her. The time it took them to get their own horse, she'd be long gone. She only prayed she wasn't too late.


	2. Saving the Life of a Royal Prat

**Chapter One – Saving the Life of a Royal Prat**

Arthur and his knights were crouching in the undergrowth, waiting for an unsuspecting creature to come into shooting range.

A blood-curdling scream from the knight at the back of the group caused them all to turn their heads in unison. To their horror, a giant half-lion, half-eagle creature had pinned Owain down and was slashing him brutally with its claws.

"Run," ordered Arthur, unsure of what else to do.

The knights didn't need telling twice. It wasn't a moment too soon. As soon as the griffin realized that the man under it was dead, it bounded across the leaves towards the panic-stricken knights.

It was cowardly of a knight to run but they were all young and inexperienced. None of them had ever faced a griffin before, although their fathers told them their heroic stories of fearlessly fighting them. Whether they were completely true or not was a different matter.

The knights scattered in all directions. Every so often there would be a piercing scream as another knight was slaughtered.

Arthur was at a loss of what to do. Out of his twelve men, only five remained and the beast was quickly gaining ground on them. Although he was a knight, it had only been made official not longer than six months ago, and he'd never fought a creature before; and they certainly couldn't attack such a ferocious beast when there were only five of them. He did the only thing possible and fled. Another man fell.

Picking up speed, Arthur ran through the trees. He had no idea where he was anymore. The beast was hurtling towards him, closing the gap. He made the mistake to look behind him. Unfortunately, by looking at the advancing griffin, he wasn't looking ahead of him and he tripped right over a tree root.

Arthur turned onto to his back only to see the griffin pounding the ground, coming towards him at lightning speed. He was going to die.

Morgana stopped her horse only to see the griffin from her nightmare charging towards Arthur. Quick as a flash, she dismounted and tied the reins around a nearby tree.

Thinking on her feet, Morgana took the dagger concealed up her sleeve and flung it in the direction of the griffin. The blade barely grazed the creature's neck but it had the desired effect. It reared up and roared, before changing course.

Great, now the griffin was after her.

Hastily, Morgana stepped behind a relatively thick tree trunk as the griffin hurtled in her direction. Just as it passed her, she stuck her sword into its leg. Whilst it was distracted, she retracted her sword and hurried around the tree trunk. In one swift movement, she plunged her sword into the griffin's back. It gave one almighty roar and then collapsed, shaking the ground.

"Morgana?" questioned Arthur in bewilderment.

"Hello, Arthur," replied Morgana, feeling extremely pleased with herself for just killing a griffin single-handedly.

"What on earth are you doing, Morgana? You could have been killed," thundered Arthur.

"I was saving your life. I won't bother next time," retorted Morgana.

"You did not save me. I'm sure I would have thought of something," said Arthur.

"So you're too proud to admit you were saved by a girl," responded Morgana.

"You did not save me," persisted Arthur.

"At least I used some initiative. Did it never even cross your mind to use your sword or your crossbow? Or were you too scared?" taunted Morgana.

"A knight does not get scared," replied Arthur, indignantly.

"Of course they don't," said Morgana, smirking again.

"How dare you? I am the Prince of Camelot. You can't speak to me like that," said Arthur, furiously.

"I can speak to you how I like, considering I just killed a griffin whilst you were cowering away," continued Morgana, mockingly.

"You did not save me," said Arthur, crossing his arms across his chest.

"You, Arthur Pendragon, are intolerable," said Morgana in reply.

Arthur watched as she walked over to a tree and begun to untether her horse, graceful even in her exasperated state. As he stood there, Morgana swung her leg over her horse in one swift movement and started to ride away.

"Morgana," he called after her.

Typical. Whenever anything didn't go her way, she went off in a huff.

After looking around, Arthur spotted his horse and he ran over to it, quickly mounting and galloping after Morgana. She'd slowed to a trot and it didn't take him long to catch up with her.

Morgana refused to acknowledge him and instead spurred her horse on.

"Morgana," he said after riding side by side for five minutes in silence.

Calmly, she continued to ride.

"Oh, come on, Morgana. This is stupid," he said, hating Morgana to have the upper hand.

"No. What's stupid is me coming and saving your life," answered Morgana.

"Well, I didn't ask you to, did I?" questioned Arthur, hotly.

"Stop being an arrogant prat, Arthur," said Morgana.

"You can't speak to me like that," yelled Arthur.

"Oh, please forgive me, my lord. I meant stop being an arrogant, _royal_ prat," replied Morgana, smiling sweetly.

"I'm the prince," growled Arthur.

Morgana sighed in annoyance. Arthur always used his title to his advantage.

"So you are. But I'm the one who killed the griffin," she said, disdainfully.

"You had the element of surprise," continued Arthur.

"Do you not remember all the times I used to beat you?" questioned Morgana, loving every second of Arthur's obvious discomfort.

"That was only because we were children," Arthur defended himself.

"I could beat you any day of the week," said Morgana, haughtily.

"Morgana, I've been training for years. I'd knock a sword out of your hand in seconds," responded Arthur, patronisingly.

"What makes you think I haven't?" questioned Morgana, smirking.

"My father stopped your lessons three years ago," replied Arthur.

"You might do as you're told; but who says I do," continued Morgana.

"If you think you can beat me. Prove it," challenged Arthur.

"I would but my sword is sticking out of a griffin and I know I'm good but I'm not that good that I can compete against your sword with my bare hands," retorted Morgana, patronisingly.

With that she galloped off. Arthur rode to catch up, irritated. Morgana always won in their verbal arguments. No-one else would dare talk to him like that – but she was always so sharp-tongued, more so when he brought up his title.

By the time they got back to Camelot, the people were going about their daily business.

"My lady, the king requests your presence immediately," said one of the guards as they dismounted.

Sighing, Morgana handed the reins of her horse over to a stable hand and then followed the guard to the council chambers. Arthur followed behind them, smiling smugly at her.

The two guards opened the oak doors and Morgana and Arthur entered. Aside from Uther, the room was unoccupied.

"Arthur," said Uther, turning his attention to his son "Where are your fellow knights?"

"Sire, I regret to report that they all perished," replied Arthur "Whilst we were hunting, we were attacked by a griffin."

"How did you escape?" asked Uther.

"I succeeded in killing the beast," explained Arthur, lying through his teeth "And on the journey back, I found Morgana in the forest."

"Well done, my son. You have proven yourself to be worthy of your title," said Uther, smiling briefly.

"I was just doing my duty," continued Arthur, bowing his head, pretending to be me modest although it was sickeningly obvious that he was basking in the glory.

Morgana stood beside him, stewing. How dare he? If it wasn't for Uther she would surely leap at him. But because she'd sneaked out to save his worthless life; she was already in enough trouble.

"Morgana," said Uther, now looking straight at her, his face slowly turning hard.

"Yes, my lord," continued Morgana.

"How dare you sneak out of the palace? Do you have any idea how worried I was about you?" questioned Uther, angrily.

"I couldn't sleep, I went for a ride," answered Morgana, thinking quickly.

"Anything could have happened to you; you were alone and unprotected," thundered Uther.

"I can fight as well as any man," said Morgana, crossly.

"This isn't the first time this has happened, Morgana," continued Uther.

"I only wanted some time to clear my head without any guards," said Morgana.

"I made a promise to your father that I would protect you. It is unacceptable that you disappear," said Uther, sternly.

"My father would have let me go out alone," said Morgana, refusing to back down.

"You are confined to your chambers for a week. You will receive only bread and water. You must learn that you can't go off anytime you feel like it," declared Uther.

Morgana groaned inwardly. She turned around promptly and made her way to the doors. As she passed Arthur, he gave her a pathetic excuse for a smirk. It was so unfair. She'd just saved his life; and she was instantly regretting it. Confining her to her chambers for a whole week was unreasonable, and restricting her food was just uncalled for. What made it worse was that Arthur didn't even defend her at all. Well, she'd show them both. She'd told Arthur she could beat him in a fight, and she intended to; just as soon as the opportunity came up.

As the week passed, Morgana made do with the bread and water. It didn't really bother her. The townsfolk lived on this and she could manage without indulging herself, unlike Arthur who would probably through a fit. Still, she didn't let on to Uther about this. It was a punishment she didn't care about.

Looking on the bright side, at least she didn't need to look at Arthur's face every day. That was something. It wasn't too bad being confined to her chambers. She enjoyed not having to sit in court all day whilst Uther droned on about boring state matters.

She'd spent the days by her window, plotting her revenge. Gwen had come in to work every day as usual, and Morgana had shared her plans. But Gwen being more sensible, had said they wouldn't work because they were either too over-dramatic or complicated.

The week went in quickly, and on the seventh night, Uther had invited her to dine with him and Arthur. Morgana had so very nearly told him that she would rather be confined to her chambers for another week than dine with that royal prat but she needed freedom to plan her revenge.


	3. A Different Type of Tournament Part 1

**Chapter Two – A Different Type of Tournament **

(Part 1)

It was a few weeks after Morgana had saved Arthur from the griffin and she was dining with Uther and Arthur. She had not yet forgiven him for not having thanked her for saving his life, but above all for taking the credit for what she had done without thinking twice! Yes, she was going to get revenge; and a plan was starting to form in her mind.

"Gwen," called Morgana, back in her chambers.

"Yes, my lady," replied Gwen, dumping her basket on the floor.

"I know exactly how to teach Arthur some humility," stated Morgana, smirking.

"How?" asked Gwen.

"Well, Arthur is so confident that he's going to win the upcoming tournament, so why not get somebody to beat him," explained Morgana.

"But who can beat Arthur?" questioned Gwen.

"Me," replied Morgana, a mischievous glint in her eye.

"The king will never let you compete," said Gwen.

"Uther won't know," continued Morgana.

"But you're not a knight, Morgana," said Gwen "And better than over half of them."

"No, that's only because I'm a woman. But I'm more than a match for any man," replied Morgana.

"But you can't just turn up and compete," pointed out Gwen.

"Ah-ha," said Morgana.

She quickly went over to her bed and knelt on the floor. After rummaging around under there, she produced the seal and flag of Cornwall.

"My father left me these when he died," she told Gwen.

Gwen was furiously trying to think of a flaw in the plan. Despite what Morgana said, the knights that competed had trained all their lives, and one of them could easily land her a fatal blow.

"Uther always expects you to watch tournaments with him. This time won't be any different," she said, after a few minutes.

"I thought of that, too," answered Morgana, much to Gwen's dismay "I can forge a letter from my cousin Elaine, asking me to visit during the tournament. Uther has met her before; she's married to King Nontres of Garlot. He'll let me ride out to meet them alone since they have guards."

"But where will you stay?" enquired Gwen.

"I'll book into the inn like all the other competing knights. As far as anyone knows, I am Sir Cador of Cornwall. No-one will have any reason to suspect otherwise," responded Morgana.

"But how will you disguise yourself?" probed Gwen further, hoping to catch Morgana out.

"I was hoping you could get me some armour and a sword," replied Morgana, looking hopefully at Gwen "And the helmet will disguise my face."

"I'll get you some armour and a sword," said Gwen "But if you do win, you'll be expected to reveal yourself."

"I know. I will reveal my true identity _when_ I win. Arthur will not only have lost the tournament for the first time; but he will have lost to a girl," answered Morgana, smugly "I told him I would beat him, and I will. He does not get away with taking the credit for something that I done."

"Uther will not be pleased that you've fought and beaten the First Knight of Camelot," said Gwen, in a last ditch attempt to change Morgana's mind.

"Oh, well," finished Morgana "It'll be worth it to see Arthur's face; and everyone else's. Not only will Arthur learn some humility, but I will prove to Uther that I am just as skilled as any knight. Maybe then he won't insist on me being escorted everywhere by guards who are completely useless if anything does happen."

Gwen gave up. The plan had been well-thought over and it was good. Morgana was an excellent swordswoman. She just hoped Uther wouldn't be too mad at her.

The next morning, Gwen entered Morgana's chambers to find her already up and dressed in her emerald green dress. She was sitting at her table, her head bowed over something.

"Good morning, Gwen," said Morgana, brightly.

"You're up early this morning, Morgana," continued Gwen, moving over to straighten the bed sheets.

"I know. I was writing the letter to get me out of Camelot during the tournament," explained Morgana "Come and have a look."

Abandoning her task, Gwen went to Morgana's side and looked over her shoulder.

Dear King Uther of Camelot,

I would be most honoured if my cousin, Morgana would visit Garlot and attend my son, Prince Galeschin's birthday feast. I am aware that your annual tournament takes place at this time but I assure you that Morgana will be accompanied back to Camelot in time for the banquet. If you choose to accept our offer, I will have our finest guards meet her on the outskirts of the forest and escort her to our castle in seven days at sunrise.

Yours truly,

Queen Elaine of Garlot

"I certainly don't think the king will suspect you of writing it," said Gwen, after reading through the letter.

"As children, Elaine and I used to write to each other regularly. I know her handwriting almost as well as my own," replied Morgana.

"Do you think the king will believe it? I mean, does he not know the date of the prince's birthday?" asked Gwen.

"Galeschin's birthday is in a few weeks anyway. I am almost completely certain that Uther won't think twice about it," answered Morgana.

"So how are you going to get it to the king?" Gwen questioned.

"I'll use a pigeon," said Morgana.

Once they'd established that, Gwen neatly braided Morgana's hair for the day.

Before she left to eat breakfast with Uther, Morgana carefully rolled the letter and then placed it in her drawer, out of sight.

After a particularly tiresome breakfast with Uther and Arthur discussing the tournament as if she wasn't there, Morgana excused herself by saying that she had a slight headache and needed some fresh air.

It hadn't been a complete lie. She went back to her chambers and retrieved the sword that she had hid under the loose flagstones when Uther had unfairly stopped her training sessions.

Pulling on her cloak and concealing the sword as best she could, Morgana headed outside. Being used to it, Morgana managed to sneak out to the forest relatively easily.

Once in the clearing where she was sure no-one would see her, Morgana began to practice her sword skills. After all, she needed to be in top form to beat Arthur and wipe that smug smile off of his smug face.

"Morgana," said Uther, at dinner than night.

"Yes, my lord?" asked Morgana.

"I received a letter from Garlot today. Queen Elaine has asked if you could attend Prince Galeschin's birthday feast," replied Uther.

"I would love to visit," said Morgana.

"As you know, next week is the tournament. So you will be required to return and escort the champion to the banquet," explained Uther.

"Of course, my lord," responded Morgana.

"Well, I just need to write our reply," said Uther.

"I can do that, my lord. And I'll send it as well," Morgana said quickly.

"Well, now that that's sorted; let's eat," finished Uther.

Morgana swiftly brought her goblet to her lips to hide her smirk of satisfaction.

The next couple of days went past in a blur. Morgana spent the days practicing her sword skills with the armour Gwen had given her. It was awkward and uncomfortable, but she was able to fight just as well after a few practice sessions. The helmet was a complete hindrance though; however, it was required to hide her true identity. She wondered why knights insisted on wearing full armour for tournaments. But this was her last practice session and she had to perfect her skills.


	4. A Different Type of Tournament Part 2

**A Different Type of Tournament**

(Part 2) 

The next afternoon, Morgana brought her horse to a halt. She'd been riding for a few hours now, and was certain that any Camelot patrols wouldn't discover her. The tournament wasn't until the next day, so she had no option but to set up camp for the night.

Any of the other ladies from the court wouldn't have a clue how to survive a night in the forest; they relied too much on men. Morgana didn't like to be clueless. Every time she'd camped out with the guards on a pilgrimage to her father's grave, she'd watched them subtly in case she ever needed to use the skills. It didn't hurt to be prepared and it was comforting to know that she could look after herself. And now she was glad she had paid so much attention.

That night, with a triumphant smile, Morgana lay down and pulled the blanket up to her shoulders, keeping her sword and her dagger beside her. Who needed men? She decided she would rest and then wake up earlier and practice her sword-fighting before she would set off to Camelot as Sir Cador.

Morgana had woken up in the middle of the night and got her fire going again. She'd made herself a basic stew that Gwen had shown her how to make and made her way to her horse. Then, she'd spent around an hour practicing her stances.

At dawn, she packed up and saddled her horse and rode back towards Camelot. It was a chilly morning and Morgana wrapped her cloak around herself to keep warm.

She reached the outskirts of the forest just before midday, but instead of going straight to the gates, she went around to large bush surrounding the apple tree.

Rummaging underneath it, she found the back of armour and the seal and flag which Gwen had left them. After tying her horse to the tree, Morgana went behind the bush and pulled on her tunic and breeches, before standing up and putting the various pieces of armour on. Then, she scrunched her long plait up into a bun and secured it, before arranging the helmet on her head.

Morgana left her dress and red cloak behind the bush, and, after slinging her pack over her shoulder and tucking her seal and flag under her arm, set off for the gates of Camelot. Gwen had promised to find a suitable place for her horse that night.

At the gates, Morgana showed the guard her flag and seal and they nodded and allowed her to pass through. It felt strange that when she walked through the lower town, she didn't get lots of people bowing and curtseying because she was the king's ward. Yes, people stopped what they were doing to take a look at her, but out of respect for her coming to compete.

She stopped by 'The Rising Sun' and went inside. She went up to the owner and showed her seal. She knew that the inn would be hectic, but a competing duke would be guaranteed a room.

Sure enough, the man took her coins and showed her to a relatively small but satisfactory room. She nodded in acknowledgement and the man disappeared, probably to book in another competitor.

Around an hour later, Morgana left the room and went to the courtyard. There was already a congregation of knights. She went to the registration table and placed her seal down.

"Duke Cador of Cornwall," said Morgana, putting on her practiced deep voice.

"Welcome to Camelot," said the steward.

He then put her shield on the board. It seemed she would be competing against Sir Degrevant the next day.

Suddenly, the bell chimed once and Uther stepped onto the balcony. All of the other competitors fell silent and looked up at him, so Morgana copied them.

"Knights of the realm, it's a great honour to welcome you to Camelot's annual tournament. Over the next four days, you will come to put your bravery to the test, test your skills as warriors, and of course, aspire to challenge the reigning champion, my son, Prince Arthur," said Uther "Only one can have the honour of being crowned champion, and he shall receive a prize of 1,000 gold pieces."

Morgana smirked under her visor. Uther didn't have a clue that this year was going to be different. She was going to do everything in her power to win.

"It is in combat that we discover whether a knight is indeed a warrior – or a coward," said Uther "The tournament begins tomorrow."

There were cheers from the surrounding townsfolk and then everyone began to depart. Morgana took a walk around the town, and snuck in to Gwen's house. There she wrote a note, letting her friend know that she was in Camelot now.

The next morning, Morgana woke up. Today was the day she would fight her first opponent. Today was the first time in her life that her opponent wouldn't hold back because she was a woman.

In high spirits, she got out of bed and began putting her armour on. She'd helped her father with his armour when she was younger; so she knew what each piece was for and where it all went. Then, with a flutter in her heart from the excitement, she placed her sword in her belt and then left for the tournament ground.

When she got there, two other knights were already locked in combat. The Knight of Camelot knocked his rival to the ground with a painful-sounding thud and pointed a sword to his throat. The crowds cheered, pleased that it was their knight that had won.

Morgana was up next. She walked with a slight swagger that most of the knights used into the centre of the arena, as did Sir Derevant. He was several inches taller than her and muscular. Hmm, maybe this wouldn't be as easy as she thought.

The pair circled each other for a few minutes and then Derevant lunged forward. Morgana quickly parried his blow. She wasn't used to such force but she quickly recovered. She launched her own attack, but her adversary was able to block it.

For the next few minutes, they delivered and deflected blows. Morgana quickly realised that sword skills weren't enough so she devised a plan as best she could whilst dodging the oncoming blows.

When Derevant next struck, she nimbly side-stepped him and went behind the knight. She kicked him in the back of the legs, causing him to stumble at this change of tactic. Morgana seized her chance, and rained blow after blow on him. Sir Derevant was losing ground but he had to fight just to counter her attacks and he didn't have any opportunity to launch his own. Eventually, Morgana was able to knock the sword from his hand. She pointed her sword to his sword and the crowd burst into applause.

As she left the arena, Morgana smiled. She was sweating and her breathing was laboured at the unusual burst of physical exertion. But it was worth it. She had just beaten a highly-skilled knight and no-one had suspected it to be her. When she revealed herself, even if she didn't win against Arthur, no-one could say she couldn't fight because she was woman. Maybe, Uther would let her continue her sword-fighting lessons. Either way, she wasn't going to stop training. But she was very determined to beat Arthur. After all, that's what this whole escapade was about. It wasn't exactly convenient to pretend to be a knight, although it was quite fun.

The next morning, Morgana was up at the crack of dawn. She wasn't sure exactly why she had woken at this ridiculously early time. But, unlike usual, it wasn't from a nightmare. Usually waking this early she would be drowsy and quick-tempered, but today she felt bright and bouncy. Maybe it was because she had a weight lifted off her shoulders from not being the king's ward for a few days; or maybe it was the buzz of the tournament.

Anyway, she got up and followed the ritual of putting on the armour, all except the helmet. She pulled on a cloak that Gwen had found for her and pulled the hood up to conceal her identity. Satisfied that nobody could see her; Morgana went for a walk to clear her head.

She reflected on the past day's events. She'd spent the remainder of the day watching the tournament, as did most of the other knights. She'd watched every tournament since she arrived in Camelot; but this time was different. She felt a part of the action. Plus, as she watched the seals being dropped from the board, one by one, she knew that she was one step closer to her goal; getting her revenge on Arthur.

A few hours later, Morgana entered the arena again. She had perfected her swagger and looked and acted well and truly like a knight would act; except that she was a bit skinny. Sir Kay was already in the centre; and the crowds were already cheering wildly. He was around the same height as Morgana and of the same build; but she knew not to get too cocky. That had always been Arthur's downfall and always would be; but it would not be hers.

The fight started. Kay wasn't like Derevant. He launched straight into an attack, barraging her with blows. She had to dodge and deflect the blows at rapid pace.

When Kay brought his sword straight down, Morgana was only just able to get out of the way. Her heart was pumping. She couldn't keep going like this. She could feel several beads of sweat gathering and the heat was amplified inside her constricting helmet.

Quickly, she began backing away from her opponent. She didn't like giving ground but this was the only way. Kay was obviously surprised by her retreat which gave Morgana the chance she sought.

Without wasting a second, she started driving Kay back at such a speed that he looked so taken aback as if he'd just seen frogs jumping out of a sorcerer's mouth. She even surprised herself.

Then, she started swiping for his arms. Soon, Kay was in the rhythm of deflecting her blows and delivering his own. Morgana smirked under her helmet. She had lulled him into a false sense of security.

Sir Kay wasn't fighting with much force anymore and he seemed relaxed. Morgana took her chance. With one swift arm movement, she swung her sword towards his legs. Her enemy stumbled over the blade and crashed to the ground.

Morgana kicked his sword from his grasp and held her own sword to his chest. He held up his hands in defeat and, limping slightly, made his way out of the arena.

Like the previous day, Morgana watched the remainder of the contest. She was sweltering inside her helmet, but she couldn't take it off. She cursed silently to herself. Why did she need to pretend to be a man to fight in a tournament? She'd beaten two knights, surely she was good enough. Curse being a woman. It would be way more fun being a man. Well, she would miss her dresses, her jewellery and well... men were arrogant pigs with no manners. And she wouldn't want all that blood on her hands from the battles. Still, men had certain advantages; like being able to fight when they wanted and getting drunk on ale instead of drinking watered down wine.

It was then that she came up with a wicked idea. This time tomorrow she would hopefully have beaten Arthur in the tournament but she would be in massive trouble; Uther would go ballistic. So, she may as well indulge in her freedom. And she knew exactly how to do it.

**We hope you enjoyed this part and the previous one. It was again a filler but we promise that the next and final part will have lots of action and exciting stuff in it. Please read and review; pretty please. We will write a lot faster with encouragement. **


	5. A Different Type of Tournament Part 3

**A Different Type of Tournament**

(Part 3)

That evening, Morgana was sitting amongst a group of extremely drunk competitors. She had been able to finally ditch the armour, and was now sitting in a forest green cloak with the hood pulled as far over her face as possible to conceal her true identity.

Morgana had already finished two tankards of ale, and was feeling slightly fuzzy but in a much merrier mood. The wine was nothing compared to this. The women really did miss out, in her opinion.

Her companions were already wittering on about complete nonsense in slurred voices; completely under the influence of the ale; all except Arthur. He obviously wanted to be entirely focused for the match tomorrow. Well, she wasn't going to drink anymore either. Not only did she want to have a clear head for the final, but if she was intoxicated with alcohol, she could easily slip up and scupper her whole scheme.

She glanced over at Arthur, tilting her hood up slightly. He was sipping at his mug like she was, but he was still involved in the conversation. She realised that she must look out of place sitting drinking quietly. That was a lady's behaviour, not that of a knight.

The knights all started telling their tales of battles and rescuing ladies in distress. Morgana listened in and contributed a few 'how did you manage that?' comments, but she was absolutely positive that the stories were over-exaggerated. Was she supposed to believe that Sir Oswald was able to defeat a griffin with only a dagger and brute force?

"So, Sir Cador, what are your battle tales?" asked Arthur, sarcasm evident in his voice.

Morgana knew by his tone that he believed he would win against her tomorrow without any effort whatsoever.

"I'd rather not show you all up," retorted Morgana, surprisingly smoothly even though she was nervous since her cover could be blown any minute.

"You're very secretive," continued Arthur, his face going slightly red.

"We're not all supercilious show-offs," replied Morgana, trying to keep her voice level and not to laugh at Arthur's agitated state.

"Anyone would think you've got something to hide, Sir Cador," hissed Arthur "Where exactly are you from?"

"Cornwall," answered Morgana, a tad too quickly.

"And who trained you with a sword," persisted Arthur "If I remember correctly, you're a duke not a knight. And your father died just before your birth."

"My mother taught me. And for your information, I used to be a Knight of Cornwall," responded Morgana.

"Women can't fight," said Arthur, chuckling.

"Look, what is this? A cross-examination?" asked Morgana, snippily.

"Don't insult our prince," said several of the drunken knights.

"Oh, are you going to get daddy's men to protect you?" questioned Morgana, getting into the swing of things.

"It's you who'll need protecting in a minute," threatened Arthur, standing up and wobbling slightly.

"Look, I get along well with the sword because the Knights of Cornwall have always been the best! Especially when compared to the Knights of Camelot," taunted Morgana, having had enough of being ganged up on.

For a moment, she had forgotten she was a knight now and not a lady; although she'd managed to keep her voice disguised. Well, all her companions were steaming anyway, and probably wouldn't notice her sudden change.

"You're going to pay for that," yelled Arthur, angrily.

Suddenly, he lunged for her but she dodged his arm swiftly. The other Knights of Camelot stood up, swaying precariously.

_Whoops_, thought Morgana. She couldn't exactly fight off a whole troop of men.

Then, all hell broke loose. Some of the knights that had been beaten by the Knights of Camelot and were still miffed, stood up to defend her, saying she spoke the truth. Within a matter of minutes, men were throwing punches left, right and centre, tables and chair were being over-turned, jugs still half-full clattered to the ground and the landlady looked flustered but dared not try to break up the brawl that had broken out.

A bulky-looking man approached her and she swiftly kicked him between the legs. She then darted under a table that was still-standing. Another man slid along the top of the table, causing everything to crash to the floor around her.

"Need a little help there," asked a man with long, brown hair, ducking under the table.

"Who are you?" questioned Morgana, uncertainly.

The man didn't look like a knight. He was dressed in clothes that weren't exactly rags but not exactly a nobleman's clothes either.

"I'm Gwaine," said the man, with a roguish smile "You're Sir Cador, aren't you?"

"Yes," replied Morgana, still unsure whether to trust the man.

"Well, I want you to know that I wish you luck. The prince has won every tournament, he needs to be brought down a peg or two," said Gwaine "Come with me."

Gwaine crawled out from beneath the table, and Morgana followed behind him. He navigated the way to the stairs relatively easily.

"You seem to have a lot of experience," Morgana pointed out.

"The tavern's my favourite place," responded Gwaine, with another charming smile "Anyway, I hope you beat the prince tomorrow."

"Thank you," Morgana called after him but he was already weaving through the fight, throwing a couple of his own punches.

To make sure no-one spotted her, Morgana clambered up the stairs to her room, exhausted. There, she flopped down on the bed and fell asleep instantly.

The next morning, Morgana woke up with a pounding headache. She groaned. That was the disadvantage of alcohol. She attempted to sit up, but the room spun around her and she felt like she was going to be sick.

A couple of minutes later, Morgana found the will to get out of bed. She adjusted the hood of her cloak and staggered downstairs; her vision slightly distorted.

The fresh air helped her slightly, but she still felt terrible. She had wanted to avoid going to Gaius but she had no choice. She couldn't compete in this state; she couldn't even walk in a straight line.

Meanwhile, Gaius and Merlin were sitting eating breakfast.

"There's something about Sir Cador," said Merlin.

"Why would you say that?" questioned Gaius.

"I don't know. Just, he acts differently from all the other knights and he fights a lot differently," explained Merlin "Plus, no-one has ever seen his face."

"Do you think he's using magic?" asked Gaius.

"I don't think so. I think there's something subtler going on," responded Merlin "I just can't quite place my finger on it."

"Do you think he's a danger to Arthur?" enquired Gaius.

"Well, he did beat those two knights without so much as a mark left on him. But I don't believe he is set on killing Arthur. Anyway, you know me, I'm always there, watching over Arthur. If Sir Cador tries anything, I'll be there to save the day," said Merlin, brightly.

"Don't be so cocky, Merlin," said Gaius, sternly "Your powers are great, but a fatal wound can occur in seconds."

"I don't believe Sir Cador will make an attempt on Arthur's life, he has spared both of his opponents," continued Merlin, after a few seconds.

"I hope you are right, Merlin. But I do trust you," finished Gaius.

The conversation ended abruptly as there was a sharp knock on the door.

"Come in," shouted Gaius.

Then, as if by magic; Sir Cador walked through the door, or rather stumbled through the door. Again, Merlin felt as though something wasn't right. The knight appeared graceful even though he was drunk, not clumsy like most of the men who came complaining of hangovers.

"I must be on top form to beat Arthur today," Sir Cador was in the middle of saying "So can you give me anything to make me feel better."

"Sit down on the bench and I'll make a potion for you," instructed Gaius, going over to his workbench.

Sir Cador walked as steadily as possible and slumped onto the wood. Merlin sat down next to her. Both of them sat in silence, Merlin studying her closely. He noticed something odd about the knight's posture; it was almost feminine. But that was a ridiculous thought.

"Here you go. Drink this," ordered Gaius, handing _Sir Cador _a small vial with murky green liquid inside.

Handing the vial over, Gaius left to collect some herbs.

Morgana tilted her head back and downed the mixture in one go. It was thick like treacle but it tasted revolting.

"You could kill a man with that stuff," grumbled Morgana, in her usual voice.

"Or a woman," replied Merlin, knowing the voice belonged to a female.

Without further ado, he stepped forward and pulled the hood back. He was stunned to discover Morgana staring at him; dread painted on her pretty features.

"M-merlin," stuttered Morgana, quickly rising.

To her surprise, she no longer felt dizzy. Sometimes, Gaius's weird concoctions actually helped.

"Morgana?" questioned Merlin, looking at her expectantly.

"I just want to teach Arthur to stop being such a … royal prat," began Morgana.

"You can't fight him," said Merlin.

"Why ever not?" asked Morgana "Because I'm a woman? Well, I've fought and beaten two knights already."

"You can't fight Arthur," continued Merlin "He's the First Knight of Camelot. He doesn't care if he hurts his opponent, as long as he wins."

"Look, I'm just as good as Arthur. We used to fight as children. I was better than him then, I'm better than him, now," responded Morgana, haughtily.

"You could be seriously injured or killed," Merlin tried to persuade her "And Uther will kill you himself if you humiliate the kingdom."

"I'm willing to face the consequences; whatever they are," replied Morgana "You can try all you like, but my mind's made up. I'm not pulling out."

Merlin sighed but gave up. He knew Morgana. If she set her mind on something; she was going to do anything to achieve her goal.

It was a few hours later when Morgana turned up in the showground. The crowds were already cheering and shouting encouragement at Arthur. It was obvious they wanted their prince to win.

"Sir Cador; last night you vanished from the fight, but today I will show you exactly what the Knights of Camelot are capable of. And you will regret having insulted us," said Arthur.

"We shall see, Arthur Pendragon. We shall see," retorted Morgana.

Both of them unsheathed their swords and then began circling each other. With his usual bravado, Arthur swung his sword in the air. Beneath her visor, Morgana rolled her eyes. She was going to teach that arrogant pig a lesson in humility.

Arthur made the first move. He lunged forward but she easily blocked him. For the next few minutes, they followed a pattern; lunge, parry, lunge, parry, lunge, parry.

Then, Arthur abruptly changed his tactic. He swung for her legs forcing her to sidestep the blade. He then brought his sword down and although she managed to step back, the edge sliced at her arm. The next thing, she felt a sharp, stinging sensation in her lower arm. She looked down to see blood trickling from the wound. Realising quickly that a knight was not fazed by minor cuts, she blocked the next blow, trying to block out the pain.

But the cut slowed her slightly, since she wasn't used to it and a couple of blows later, Arthur managed to knock her to the ground. She landed on the solid ground on her shoulder. Somehow, she'd managed to keep hold of her sword.

Arthur walked over and went to put his sword to her throat, but she hurriedly rolled over and kicked Arthur in the shin. He tripped but was able to stay on his feet. But Morgana managed to get back on her feet and swung her sword in the air as Arthur had done earlier.

Slightly flustered, Arthur got into fighting stance again. They began the routine of attacking and deflecting again, which gave Morgana time to think. She'd fought with Arthur since they were children, he was a skilled fighter but his arrogance was his downfall. Maybe, she could use that to her advantage.

So, she started back away from the oncoming blows. Arthur read this as a sign of weakness, and started raining down the blows thick and fast. She had to fight harder but her determination and the adrenaline lessened the pain in her arm and shoulder and made her feel full of life.

Lost in the moment, she didn't realise exactly how far she had been pushed back. The next thing she knew, she hit the wall.

Arthur moved his sword to disarm her, but thinking on her feet, Morgana used her sword-free hand and punched him in the stomach. She felt guilty but it was a tournament and it wasn't like she'd gotten off unscathed.

Whilst Arthur was distracted, Morgana successfully disarmed him. With several fast swipes at his feet with her sword, Arthur fell backwards and landed on his back with a dull thud. She put her sword at the base of his throat.

The crowd went into uproar. Morgana felt proud of her achievement; she'd just won a tournament, a proper tournament. Oh, now it was time for the big reveal and a whole lot of trouble.

"Well, Arthur. It seems the Knights of Camelot aren't better than me," said Morgana, in her feminine voice.

With one swift movement, she threw her helmet to the ground and shook her long, dark hair out.

The cheers of the townsfolk ceased abruptly, and an unnatural silence befell the crowd. But after a few minutes of the audience coming to terms with their new champion, three things happened simultaneously; the people began to applaud their winner, shocked but happy that it was the First Lady of Camelot, Uther threw her murderous glares and Arthur was so astounded that his mouth was so wide open that it was like it was touching the ground.

It was precisely one hour later and Morgana was stood in a deserted council chamber, awaiting Uther's arrival.

After the tournament, she had gone to Gaius for the gash on her arm. He'd stitched it back up but he'd given her an extremely long lecture on the dangers of her antics and how lucky she was that it was only a minor injury. Then she'd rushed to her chambers and changed into her prettiest dress; after wearing men's clothes for several days. And here she was.

Suddenly, the door banged open and Uther walked purposefully to his throne. Morgana squared her shoulders and help her head high.

"How dare you lie to me, Morgana," thundered Uther "Anything could have happened while you played your game."

"I can take care of myself. Surely today is proof of that," continued Morgana, with a small smile.

"This is not funny. You have brought shame on Camelot," bellowed Uther "You escort the champion to the feast, not compete to be him."

"I wanted to teach Arthur a lesson. He is far too arrogant; I only brought him back down to earth," replied Morgana.

"You are a lady. You're meant to do embroidery, sewing, dress up. No man will want to marry you if you act like a shrew," said Uther.

"I do not want to be an air-head like all the other ladies of the court. With the reputation of the guards; I need to be able to defend myself in case someone tries to kidnap me," said Morgana.

"Do not insult Camelot again or you will be punished," threatened Uther "I cannot believe you lied to me."

"Oh, and you would have let me fight if I asked you," questioned Morgana and she was greeted by silence "Thought so. Why are you punishing me? If Arthur had won you would be praising him."

Uther was stumped. She argued well. It was true. If she was a man, he would have no problem with her winning, but a woman. A woman beating the Prince; it brought shame on the kingdom.

"Morgana, I have forbidden you to train and although you have improved; you are not a man. You are forbidden to go anywhere near the training ground. And if you go against me again, there will be severe repercussions," said Uther, after a few minutes.

"Of course, my lord," finished Morgana, turning on her heel and walking out, a smirk growing on her face.

She had absolutely no intention of giving up her sword-fighting. It kept her grounded. But she wouldn't practice for a while. No doubt she'd be under close watch. The main thing was, Arthur had been taught a lesson and she had gotten off scot-free.

"Well, Arthur, I told you I'd get you back," said Morgana, entering his chambers gracefully.  
>She smirked as she was greeted with silence.<br>"You should learn to accept defeat like a real man, Arthur," continued Morgana "Or should I say, _Prince__ Arthur_."  
>She added the last phrase from their confrontation in the woods when she had disposed of the griffin. That was enough to provoke Arthur.<br>"I will not accept being defeated by a woman; and especially not by you," retorted Arthur "I am absolutely certain you cheated."  
>"How could I have cheated?" questioned Morgana mockingly "For a moment it seemed that you were about to beat me."<br>Arthur was about to comeback her remark but she cut him off.  
>"You can't use your pathetic excuse that you were holding back because you were fighting a woman; because you had absolutely no idea that I was your opponent," said Morgana.<br>Several more protests from Arthur were easily shot down by Morgana.

"Accept it. This time you've lost," she says "And if I were you, instead of wasting time sulking, I would go and practise."

And with that she left his chambers, a grin plastered on her face.

"Oh I will make her pay for this! We must devise a way to humiliate her in front of all the people like she did me," Arthur said to Merlin when they were alone.

Merlin groaned. Great, he had been dragged into this competition.


	6. Revenge is a Dish Best Served

**Revenge is a Dish Best Served**

"It's been three weeks," grumbled Arthur, pushing himself up to rest against his pillows, as Merlin brought him breakfast.

The manservant didn't reply. To be honest, he'd been relieved that Arthur was yet to come up with a good plan. He had no intention of being drawn into this competition. It didn't look like Arthur would come up with a suitable plan of revenge any time soon. Merlin had easily been able to shoot down his list of ideas so far, for various reasons.

First was, 'hide her clothes', but Merlin had pointed out that Uther would be furious, not at her because she couldn't hide her own clothes, but with people he suspected to hold a grudge, i.e. Arthur.

Next came, 'distract Gwen so that she cannot wake Morgana in time, therefore resulting in her being late', but Merlin then said that it would be Gwen that would be in trouble but Morgana would make up an excuse about being ill and get them both out of it.

Then there was, 'a sign on her back with something humiliating written on it', but Merlin told Arthur that Morgana wasn't that gullible, and didn't particularly care what anyone else thought of her.

In a last ditch attempt, Arthur suggested 'swapping Morgana's sleeping draught for a foul-tasting potion', but Merlin chuckled and said that Gaius delivered the draught personally for her to take straight away, and she would surely smell or see the difference.

"I can't let her get away with humiliating me like that," complained Arthur "She's been acting like she owns the place."

"Well, it was rather funny," said Merlin, dodging the metal jug that suddenly came flying his way.

"_Mer_lin," continued Arthur "Morgana didn't even get into trouble for it. She's so annoying now; acting all superior. We must teach her a lesson."

"I don't see how," said Merlin, picking up some of the clothes scattered around the chambers.

"I'm going to find a way, if it's the last thing I do," vowed Arthur "You're either with me or you're against me. Which is it to be?"  
>"With you," muttered Merlin, dejectedly.<p>

With a triumphant grin, Arthur got out of bed and thumped Merlin's shoulder in a friendly-ish manner. Merlin, used to the frequent punches that the knights always used to greet each other, prepared Arthur's clothes for the day and wandered off with the empty dishes.

Arthur strode purposefully down the corridors to his father's chambers. He'd received a message that his father wanted to see him immediately; over what he wasn't sure.

When his father told him to come in, he groaned when he seen Morgana standing opposite Uther. She gave him a sickening smirk as he entered.

"Now, in precisely one week's time, I have invited Lord Bayard to come to Camelot for my birthday feast," the king explained.

Arthur and Morgana exchanged a silent look. Bayard was famous for his incredibly long and tedious speeches.

"Anyway, the reason I have called you here is that I want you two to accompany each other to the feast," said Uther, smiling as if he thought it was a great idea.

"What?" they questioned in shock.

Uther knew they couldn't spend five minutes in each other's company without bickering.

"I am not going to the feast with HIM," said Morgana, furiously.

"You'll do as I say," responded Uther.

"I am not spending a whole night with Arthur," continued Morgana.

"Morgana, this is not open for discussion," replied Uther, his fury growing.

"She's right, though. Can't we go ourselves?" asked Arthur, hopefully.

"No, you are going together. It will give you time to sort out your differences," said Uther, his face going as red as his tunic.

"That would take us a lifetime," muttered Morgana, exasperated.

"Or two," added Arthur, earning him a disapproving glare from Morgana for disrupting her rant.

"It'll be so boring," she protested further.

"You are dismissed," bellowed Uther.

Morgana strode out of his chambers, unfazed at his raging temper and Arthur followed behind her.

"I'll just need to perk up this feast a bit if I'm going to be stuck with you," she said with a mischievous glint in her eye, before walking off down the corridor.

It was then that it struck him. He had a most fantastic plan, even if he did say so himself. He would get his revenge on Morgana, and liven up the feast, as well.

"I give you Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana," said Uther, and the jam-packed banquet hall broke into applause.

The two of them walked in; Arthur clad in his tunic and bearing the Pendragon emblem, Morgana dressed in an almost inappropriate, halter-neck red dress with two strands of dark hair framing her face.

When they sat down, at either side of Uther, he introduced Lord Bayard. The man entered the hall on cue, flanked by twelve of his own guards.

"It is a great honour to attend your birthday feast Uther," he began in a booming voice.

Arthur looked at Morgana and saw her sigh. She then started twirling one of the loose strands of her hair, not bothering to even try and conceal her boredom. Perfect, it would make his plan work a lot better.

It was a good ten minutes later when Bayard finally sat down after an even longer speech than first envisioned about how glad he was that the kingdoms were at peace with each other. By the looks of it, Morgana had almost fallen asleep. Normally, he too would have; but his plan was too exciting to fall asleep.

Seconds later, servants scurried forward, placing concealed dishes over the tables.

"Happy birthday, King Uther," everyone chorused, before bringing their goblets to their lips.

"Let the feast begin," declared Uther.

The king then lifted the lid of the dish directly in front of him. He opened it to find … a plate swarming with cockroaches.

Chaos ensued. The ladies of the court started screaming and shouting as the cockroaches scuttled down the tables and into the hall in every direction; their husbands frantically tried to calm them. Dishes and goblets were knocked to the ground in the panic.

"Everyone leaves … NOW," roared Uther, resembling a particularly angry lion.

No-one needed telling twice. Everyone scurried out; glad to be away from the ghastly cockroaches. Bayard strode out with his guards, laughing with gusto. Uther's face was like thunder and lightning combined.

"You two LEAVE," he ordered his son and ward that had remained.

Morgana had jumped up when the cockroaches had been unleashed, but now she was leaning against her chair, trying and failing to contain her giggles. Arthur, however much he wanted to laugh, kept a straight face.

Swaying a little bit from her laughing fit, Morgana left the hall. Arthur hung behind.

"Arthur, I told you to leave," said Uther, turning to face his son.

"I know. But I know who caused tonight's disruption," replied Arthur.

"Then tell me," demanded Uther, interested as to who would have had the opportunity.

"It was Morgana," stated Arthur.

"Morgana?" questioned Uther in doubt.

"Yes, father," responded Arthur "Today, I was passing the kitchens to find my servant when I saw Morgana crouching behind the barrels. I then saw her sneak up to one of the dishes and replace it with her own. I thought nothing of it at the time, but it makes perfect sense what she was up to, now."

It wasn't a complete lie. The only difference was that it was him who had swapped the dishes, not Morgana. But his father would need someone to blame, and Morgana would probably get into a full-blown argument with him over it. Then, she would be punished. And he would love every minute of it.

"Thank you for bringing this to me, Arthur. You may go," said Uther, tightly.

Obediently, Arthur nodded his head and then left, smiling broadly at how perfectly things had went.

"Morgana," began Uther, in his chambers the next morning.

"Yes, my lord?" questioned Morgana.

"Well, you are well aware of what happened at the feast last night," continued Uther.

"Yes, my lord," responded Morgana, trying to keep the smile off her face as she remembered the events of the previous night.

"You can drop the act, Morgana," said Uther "I know exactly what you did."

"I don't know what you're talking about, my lord," said Morgana.

"How dare you humiliate me in front of all the nobles and then deny it to my face," yelled Uther.

"But I didn't do anything," persisted Morgana.

"So you still choose to lie to me," roared Uther.

"I told you, I don't know what you're talking about," replied Morgana, raising her voice.

"Well, allow me to enlighten you. You were seen last night swapping the dish for cockroaches," explained Uther, in a low tone.

"How on earth could I have been seen?" questioned Morgana, angry now.

"Are you calling Arthur a liar?" demanded Uther.

Morgana growled angrily. So this was Arthur's doing. She should have guessed.

"Yes, I am," retorted Morgana "If I was to pull a prank, and if I did I would not be so petty; I would have owned up. There's no point in pranking someone and not getting any credit for it."

"I've had enough of this, Morgana. You ruin Camelot's good reputation and then refuse to own up. Perhaps if you hadn't lied I would have spared you the consequences, but I cannot let this behavior continue any longer," concluded Uther "You will remain in your chambers until midday and then you will spend the afternoon in the stocks."

"This is ridiculous," complained Morgana "I did not do it. I would have owned up if I had."

"Go to your chambers, and tonight at dinner I expect an apology," said Uther, dismissing her.

"Are you insane? You can't be serious," said Morgana, refusing to just accept it.

"Be careful, child. I could make it two days," replied Uther.

"You cannot do this to me," yelled Morgana, furiously.

"Child, there are only a handful of things I cannot do, and putting you in the stocks for your childish behavior is not one of them," said Uther.

"You're a terrible king if you can't see a lie," finished Morgana.

She stormed out of the chambers, pushing past the guards. Arthur was so going to die for this. Painfully!

For the next few hours, Morgana was complaining to Gwen. It wasn't about getting put in the stocks; it was why she was getting put in the stocks; absolutely no reason whatsoever; except Arthur fabricating a story because he couldn't handle being beaten in the tournament. Now he was going to fully humiliate her. She was furious at Uther as well. How could he just believe Arthur instantly without even listening to her side of the story?

Gwen plaited her hair neatly and secured it in a bun so there wouldn't be as much to get out later. Then, Morgana put on her least favorite dress; a purple cotton one, and threw a white shawl over it to try and save it as much as possible.

At precisely midday, two guards came and escorted her into the courtyard where Uther was waiting by the stocks.

Wanting to remain dignified, Morgana allowed herself to be led over to the wooden supports. Uther looked at her pointedly and with a sarcastic smile, she put her head and hands in the holes. The other wooden half was clamped down over her delicate neck and chains were attached to her wrists.

"People of Camelot, the Lady Morgana has humiliated Camelot and now must be humiliated in return," said Uther "You are to treat her as you would any other person in the stocks."

The citizens looked quite taken aback and could only guess it was because of the disturbance at the feast the previous night.

"Remember, I expect an apology tonight," said Uther "Use this time to contemplate your actions."

"What my non-existent actions?" asked Morgana, sarcastically.

Then, Uther walked off like he was all high and mighty. Morgana swore under her breath. She'd only been in the stocks for a couple of minutes and already her neck and wrists were sore from rubbing on the wood.

Morgana saw Arthur swaggering down towards her. Well, she wasn't going to let him think she was a spoiled princess who couldn't cope in the stocks. It was only a few hours and then she could plan her revenge. She'd still beaten him in the tournament.

"Morgana, fancy seeing you here," said Arthur, grinning.

"I wish I couldn't see you," retorted Morgana, standing up as straight as her current predicament would allow her.

"Would you like me to try and get you released? If you beg me, I'll go straight to my father and own up," continued Arthur.

"I'm perfectly fine, Arthur," said Morgana, tempted though she was to accept his offer.

"But you'll get your hair all messed up," persisted Arthur.

"Probably. What's your excuse though?" asked Morgana, mockingly.

"I'll have you left in the stocks overnight," said Arthur, his cheeks burning.

"Go ahead," continued Morgana, airily.

Arthur was stumped. He hadn't expected that answer. He thought she would at least be quiet, even if she didn't apologize. Morgana smirked. A small victory was better than no victory at all.

Wasting no more time, Arthur stepped back and took out a half-rotten potato. Morgana glared at him but inwardly groaned. In one swift movement, the potato hit her in the face.

"Bloody hell, Arthur," growled Morgana, wrinkling her red nose to try and relieve the discomfort.

"Now, now, Morgana; that language is unacceptable for a lady of the court," teased Arthur.

"I don't give a damn about status. You just hit me with a bloody potato," said Morgana with a fierce tone.

"What would the king say?" questioned Arthur, grinning some more.

"My language won't be the only thing you need to worry about when I get out of this," threatened Morgana, angrily.

"You really shouldn't be threatening the prince, Morgana," said Arthur.

"What are you going to do about it?" asked Morgana.

"Nothing; I'll let the people do it for me," finished Arthur, before turning and leaving.

"At least I'm not a coward who has to get revenge when the other person is hel0pless," she yelled after him.

Morgana grunted in frustration at being restrained. He wouldn't have dared spoke to her like that face to face. She would have slapped before he could utter another word.

Morgana spent the next hour getting pelted with rotten fruit and vegetables from adults and children alike. She could feel her hair clumping together with the sticky substances and cursed under her breath. She'd never done anything to the people, in fact, she'd slipped them money and food when they were starving, stood up to Uther about unfair taxes and generally been there for them. Now, they were just throwing stuff at her like she was some petty criminal. But it was Arthur's fault. It was all Arthur's fault; and his rash father's.

Just when she thought this day couldn't get any worse, she spotted Merlin weaving through the crowds to her.

"Don't you dare, Merlin," said Morgana when Merlin stopped a few feet away from her with a tomato in hand.

"I have to, otherwise I'll enrage Arthur and I'll be keeping you company in the stocks," replied Merlin, somewhat guiltily, but he did have a hint of a smile on his face.

Morgana was about to say that she was the king's ward but that would be like Arthur using his title; and she'd rather be hit with a tomato than act anything like Arthur. So she didn't say anything.

"I hope you can forgive me," said Merlin.

With that, he launched the soggy tomato and it hit Morgana square in the face. Her face turned as crimson as the tomato juice splattered all over her usually glossy hair.

"You've made your choice, Merlin", said Morgana, furiously "If you're with Arthur, so be it."

Merlin at least had the decency to look apologetic as he moved away. But Morgana was pretty sure he was going to sing to Arthur about her threat and they would have a good laugh at her.

After Uther released her from the stocks, Morgana went straight up to her chambers. She looked a right sight, and she knew it. Her neck and back were achy and it added to her angered state.

Gwen had a bath ready for her, for which she was grateful. Her friend spent over an hour washing the filth out of her hair and putting scented oils through it when it was clean to make sure there was no trace of her situation.

Morgana dressed in her royal blue and gold dress and left her hair loose, before walking to the dining hall to dine with Uther and Arthur.

"Morgana," Uther greeted her, sternly.

"How was your day?" asked Arthur, mockingly.

"I had the misfortune to encounter some immature cowards," replied Morgana, coolly "Apart from that; and almost starving the townsfolk, I had a splendid day."

"Enough," ordered Uther.

The two of them fell quiet, glowering at each other.

"Morgana, I expect an apology," he continued.

"Whatever for?" asked Morgana, a smile gracing her features.

"Morgana," thundered Uther "Would you like to spend another day in the stocks?"

Arthur put a hand over his mouth to stop himself from laughing.

"I could be in the stocks every day for a year, and I still wouldn't have anything to apologize for. Well, maybe I will then, but not now, since I haven't done anything wrong," said Morgana, staring pointedly at Arthur.

"You always make things so difficult, Morgana. Maybe you should just apologize," suggested Arthur, grinning wickedly.

"I'd be shouting it from the battlements if I had committed the crime. Unlike some people," said Morgana, again directing it at Arthur.

That shut him up.

"This is your final warning, Morgana; apologize!" demanded Uther.

"Oh, my liege lord, my crown prince, I am ever so sorry that your pride was dented at the feast. I regret swapping the dish for cockroaches ever so much. Please forgive me. I don't know what I'll do if you are angry with me. I will probably cry and beg on my knees. It will be so upsetting not to talk to you two," said Morgana, curtsying as low as was physically possible and keeping her head bowed.

"Morgana; go to your chambers immediately!" yelled Uther, absolutely furiously.

Beside him, Arthur was shaking with silent laughter. Morgana was just humiliating herself further. This was outstanding entertainment.

"Ok, I apologize for ruining the feast," said Morgana, straightening up, a tear in her eye from laughing under her curtain of hair.

"Sit down, now," ordered Uther, exasperated.

Morgana smirked at Arthur and tucked in.

**As always, please, please, read and review. It really means a lot to us. Anything anyone wants to happen in future chapters, pop it in and we will be sure to consider it. We hope you enjoyed this chapter. **


	7. Everything Is Possible, Unless We Argue

A/N - We hope you like this chapter. As always please, please, please review. Anything at all, even a smiley face. What's good and what needs improvement. Also, any suggestions for future chapters you'd like to see written. Anyway, we hope you enjoy reading.

**Everything is Possible, As Long As We Don't Argue**

"You are guilty of using magic, Cedric. Under our law the punishment for this crime is death. You are an enemy of the kingdom, for this you shall die in two days at dawn," declared Uther "Guards! Take him to the dungeons."

Uther's mindless drones obediently hauled the man, who was begging for mercy sporadically, out of the chambers.

"The council is dismissed," said Uther.

As everyone began to leave, he lifted his goblet and took a long drink, before standing up and facing the back wall.

"How can you do this, Uther?" asked Morgana, when the room had emptied.

"Morgana, please; I am in no mood to argue with you over this," said Uther.

"He has a wife and four children. If you kill him; they will surely die before the week is out," argued Morgana, moving to stand beside him.

"I do not condone the use of magic. The laws change for no-one, regardless of their circumstances," responded Uther.

"And how do you know he used magic?" questioned Morgana.

"My guards saw him with their own eyes," answered the king.

"So it must be true," retorted Morgana, sarcastically.

"Morgana, the guards word is to be believed," said Uther, his narrowing dangerously.

"It could have been a trick of the light. You have no evidence," continued the ward, unfazed by the storm brewing.

"If there is the slightest doubt about this man; he must die or he could bring the city down," said Uther, fuming now.

"So you execute him and leave a family unable to survive, because someone _might_ have used magic and _might_ bring down Camelot?" probed Morgana.

"This is not up for discussion," said Uther, fighting to stay in control.

"Of course it's not. The mighty King Uther says jump and everyone else says how high," countered Morgana, sardonically.

"Morgana," thundered Uther.

"It's no wonder so many people set out to remove you from the throne. You've killed so many innocents; destroying lives and families without a second thought. Everything's black and white with you; you see no greys. You're an unjust ruler. You don't deserve to run a bakery, let alone a kingdom," said Morgana, expelling fire.

"If you were anyone else, I'd have you executed for treason," threatened Uther "Now get out of my sight before I do something I might live to regret."

"Arthur," drawled Morgana, as he arrived in her chambers.

"I just came to see if what they're saying is true," said Arthur, still acting superior after getting Morgana thrown in the stocks.

"I don't know, Arthur. What are they saying?" asked Morgana, cocking her head to the side.

"Did you have a showdown with my father today?" probed Arthur.

"That's for me to know; and you to wonder," replied Morgana with a smile.

"So you did, then," concluded Arthur.

"Oh, come on, Arthur. Of course I did. I'm not going to let your father carry on being a tyrant," said Morgana "And before you think you can blackmail me, I don't care if you tell Uther. In fact, I've already told him and will tell him again."

"I'm not that petty," said Arthur, defensively.

"Really; then why did you fabricate that story at the feast to get me thrown in the stocks? All because you couldn't handle me beating you in the tournament; you're a complete and utter ass, Arthur Pendragon," continued Morgana.

"And you're a total bitch," retorted Arthur "Swanning round like you own the place. I'm the prince; you're just an orphan girl my father took in out of duty. All you've done is gave him grief."

Morgana glared at him. In all their arguments and disagreements; they'd made an unspoken pact to never bring Morgana's father's death into it. Arthur instantly regretted it.

"Look, I shouldn't have said that," he said quickly.

"Just get out," commanded Morgana, trying hard not to let a tear slip at mention of her father.

"Morgana, I am sorry," apologized Arthur.

"Don't worry, I won't go running to your father. Now get out and leave me alone," yelled Morgana, practically slamming the door in his face.

Only then did she let a few tears fall; but only a few. Telling herself not to be so weak and let a boy get to her, she wiped her eyes and sat at her table. She had the matter of the convicted man to deal with instead of wallowing in self-pity.

A few hours later, Arthur sheepishly approached Morgana in the courtyard.

"Yes, Arthur," she asked, turning away from a stall selling pretty bracelets.

"Are you just going to give up?" asked Arthur, deciding not to apologize since she was being so offhand with him.

"Never; I'm not going down without a fight," said Morgana, determinedly.

"Well, I'm going to break the prisoner out of the dungeon," declared Arthur.

"Stick to what you do best … being the king's little helper. I've already got a little something up my sleeve," responded Morgana.

"I'm male, I will do a much better job of it," said Arthur, competitively.

"I'm female, I am much cleverer and I've got much more practice at sneaking around and treachery," replied Morgana "And we all know you're only trying to help the man escape to get one up on me. You don't care if he lives or dies; only that you are better than me."

"Of course I care. The man's totally innocent," said Arthur, telling a half-truth.

"And have you actually said this to your father. I thought not. You're a coward," said Morgana.

"Yes, well you're already in enough trouble. My father will never forgive you if you betray him again," said Arthur in reply, put out that she'd called him a coward.

"I'm not worried for myself," answered Morgana, curtly "Now, stay out of this or you'll get in trouble, too. And I'm not sure you could handle _daddy_ being angry at you."

With that, she flicked her hair and flounced off, in that deeply irritating way only Morgana could perfect.

That evening, Arthur was walking by Morgana's chambers coming from inside. _Probably with Gwen_, he thought to himself.

He was about to walk past when he heard something about the guards. Positive it would help him free the man; he pressed his ear to the door and tried to quieten his breath.

After around ten minutes of barely audible words here and there; he was satisfied that he knew the foundation of Morgana's plan. More importantly, it was going to be set in motion the next day at dusk. He would have to create a diversion for himself and use her escape plan. The question was how.

The next day at noon, the council session finished. As everyone left, Arthur hung back.

"Father," he began.

"Yes, Arthur. Do you wish to say something?" asked Uther.

"I was thinking that maybe you and Morgana should dine alone tonight," replied Arthur.

Uther looked shocked and instantly looked up from the documents in his hand.

"And why on earth would I do that?" he queried "Morgana today questioned my actions, I will not have another showdown or I fear I will lose my temper."

"Yes, but maybe she only done that for attention," continued Arthur, planting the first seeds of doubt "And, I heard her complaining to her maidservant about not spending enough time with you lately… especially in the … evenings."

"If this is true, why has Morgana not come to ask this herself?" questioned Uther, opening his eyes slightly wider.

"Father, surely you know why. Morgana's far too stubborn, too proud, to ever admit she enjoys your company," Arthur easily answered.

"You're absolutely right, Arthur," said Uther, truly considering it now "I shall invite her immediately. You may leave."

"Father," finished Arthur, bowing his head respectfully.

Then, with a smirk, he headed for the doors. _Stage one complete_, he thought victoriously.

Shortly after the chat with his son, Uther was walking down the corridor when he bumped into Morgana.

"Morgana," he said brightly, stopping her from descending the stairs.

"Yes, my lord," replied Morgana, cursing him for halting her preparations "What can I do for you?"

It wouldn't do to get herself locked up today.

"Yes, indeed there is. Would you like to accompany me to dinner tonight?" asked Uther.

"Tonight," responded Morgana.

"Yes; unless of course, you have something already planned that you would rather do," said Uther.

"Not at all, my lord. Of course I will dine with you. It shall be my pleasure," answered Morgana, forcing a smile.

"Excellent," finished Uther, turning and striding back to his chambers.

_Damn it, this will ruin mine and Gwen's plans_, Morgana cursed silently as he left. Why tonight? Did he suspect something? Either way, her plans were in ruins.

That night, Morgana furiously dressed in one of her more practical dresses and went to dine with Uther, cursing fate.

Meanwhile, Arthur was in his chambers. He pulled on a pair of breeches and a black tunic. Then, he sheathed his sword in its scabbard and pulled on a hooded cloak. Ensuring that the sleeping draught he had persuaded Merlin to steal from Gaius was safely tucked away, he headed out of his chambers and headed on the path to the dungeons.

Once at the top of the steps, Arthur looked down at the guards playing a dice game. A few minutes of thought later, and he took a gold coin from his pouch and threw it to the far side of them. Quick as a flash, he backed into the shadows until the three men crept down the passage where the coin had landed.

Wasting no time, Arthur stepped forward again and unscrewed the top of vial. He emptied the contents into the jug of ale on top of the table. Then, he went back into the shadows to wait.

About ten minutes later, the guards were lying on the ground, dead to the world. With a grin, Arthur tiptoed down the steps and searched the sleeping guards. When he found the heavy ring of rusty keys, he set off down the dark, dusty passage lined with cells.

As Arthur walked, he thought the rows of prisoners would go on for all eternity. There were so many filthy bodies lying limp in the gloom. There were even a few children. He hadn't even known about over half of them. _Morgana must not have either, otherwise she'd have been on a rescue mission long before now_, Arthur thought.

Finally, Arthur came across the cell containing Cedric. He tried several keys in the old locks until the door finally swung open with a creak.

"Quickly," he ordered in his best instructing voice "We must leave before the guards waken and then it won't just be you in trouble."

Cedric stared up at him, dumfounded.

"Oh, come on. Sleeping draughts don't work forever," said Arthur, extending his arm.

Back in the dining hall, Morgana was stewing in her seat beside Uther. She'd engaged in conversation but had only picked at the spread in front of her.

"My lord, please can I be excused?" asked Morgana.

"Whatever for?" questioned Uther, looking up from the hog in front of him.

"I'm feeling light-headed. I think it must be from the wine," explained Morgana, putting on a slightly wincing expression "I was going to take a walk to get some fresh air."

"Of course, my dear," replied Uther "And be sure to inform Gaius if it persists."

"I will. Thank you, my lord," finished Morgana, giving him a sickly sweet smile before taking her leave.

As soon as she was out of the hall, Morgana walked briskly to the dungeons. Unfortunately, they were on the other side of the castle and every second that past was one second closer to Cedric's death.

When Morgana reached the steps leading down to the dungeons, she quietly descended to the next level. Peering through the bars, she saw the three guards out cold on the floor.

"My lady?" said a passing guard.

Morgana jumped and spun around. Before she could think of a suitable excuse as to why she was crouching by the dungeons, one of the guards below woke up.

"Sound the warning bell," he ordered.

The next thing she knew, the guard behind her had a firm grip on her arm and was pulling her to her feet.

"Unhand me," demanded Morgana.

"My lady, I must take you to the king," replied the guard.

Annoyed, she jerked her arm free from the guard's grasp. From the swarms of knights rushing to find the named prisoner, one of them came over and grabbed her other arm. _Great, just great_, Morgana thought, ceasing her struggles, knowing there was no point.

As she was being led to the council chambers where Uther would no doubt have went straight away, the warning bell stopped tolling. That meant the prisoner or their accomplice had been apprehended.

Morgana was steered into the council chambers and placed in front of the occupied throne. Uther looked surprised.

"We found the Lady Morgana by the dungeons just before the warning bell sounded, my lord" explained the guard before leaving.

Morgana stood in front of a silent Uther, feeling slightly uncomfortable. She wanted to speak but he would probably class that as disrespectful. So, she bit her tongue and continued to stare at him.

A few minutes later, the doors burst open and Arthur was dragged in. Both king and ward looked equally shocked.

"What is the meaning of this?" Uther asked the knights who had detained his son.

"Prince Arthur was seen running with the prisoner. We are searching for him as we speak," answered Sir Ellsinore.

"You are dismissed," said the king.

The group of knights hurriedly retreated.

"I never expected a thing like this from you, Arthur," began Uther, narrowing his eyes "You have deeply disappointed me. You convinced me to dine with Morgana so you could free the extremely dangerous prisoner. What on earth were you thinking?"

Suddenly, Morgana understood the entirety of Arthur's plan. He had managed to keep her occupied with Uther whilst he hurried to rescue the prisoner, just to spite her. It was just typical of Arthur to take credit for other people's actions – or almost actions. He'd done it once with the griffin; but this time he would not succeed.

"Truly this was my idea, my lord," said Morgana "I knew you would suspect me so I got Arthur to convince you to invite me to dinner. Then, after eating I was going to free Cedric myself. However, dinner lasted longer than I initially planned and Arthur had to intervene."

Arthur stared at her, irate that she'd managed to turn the situation to her advantage.

"Please, father, don't believe Morgana. She had absolutely nothing to do with it. It's all my idea. She just wants to take the credit for something that I did," protested Arthur.

"Arthur, do you really believe she would take the blame for you if she didn't do it?" asked Uther, astonished that the two were trying to get pride from breaking the law "And if you truly believe this, explain to me why she was seen at the dungeons."

Arthur was trying desperately to find an answer when Morgana interrupted him.

"Oh, come on, Arthur. There really is no need to try to protect me. Your father has already figured it out," she said "Don't worry, I can handle the consequences."

"I know what you're trying to do and it will not work. It was down to me the prisoner escaped," said Arthur, whirling around to face Morgana instead of his father.

"Only because you stole my plans," retorted Morgana.

"That's enough!" roared Uther, cutting Arthur's reply off "I do not care what roles both of you played in this escapade. All I know is that you have both defied and betrayed me. So, Morgana, you'll spend the week in the dungeons to contemplate your treasonous actions and Arthur, you will join her tonight and then for the rest of the week you will be confined to your chambers with only bread and water, aside from your training ."

The two of them were trying to object, saying that it was too harsh.

"That's not fair. You confine Arthur to his chambers but still let him train but you lock me in the dungeons," protested Morgana "And Arthur's admitted actually freeing the prisoner."

"And how am I expected to train with only a diet of bread and water for a whole week," complained Arthur.

"Morgana, you said you can handle the consequences. And, Arthur, you seem pretty determined that it was you who was responsible," said Uther "I will not hear another word. Guards! Arrest them!"

"It's not being stuck in a cell that's the problem, it's being stuck in a cell with you that is," said Morgana, later that night.

"Well, no-one asked you to say you planned it all," retorted Arthur.

"I wasn't going to let you take the credit for my grand escape plan," said Morgana with a smirk.

"It was my plan," continued Arthur.

"No, you listened in on a private conversation, Arthur," responded Morgana "You don't have the brains to come up with something as spectacular as my plan."

"At least I don't end up in the dungeons just for my pride," said Arthur.

"Oh, Arthur; it's not the first time I've been down here for defying your father, and I doubt it will be the last," Morgana went on in a sing-song voice "Whereas you, you've always been too much of a coward to stand up for what you believe in. You've never been down here before; but I'm down here or confined to my chambers at least once a month."

"At least I'm not a shrew," he retorted.

"Just because I have an opinion," said Morgana "At least I fight for what I believe in. You just follow your father around like a lost sheep."

"Boys are better, everyone knows that," Arthur said.

"In your big head, maybe; but girls are the superior gender," continued Morgana, smiling roughly in his direction.

"And what makes you think that?" questioned Arthur.

"Well, I killed a griffin and saved your worthless hide. I don't know what I was thinking, to be honest. Maybe it was because I'm so gallant and save all princesses in distress," said Morgana, mockingly.

"You're the princess; all dresses and jewellery. You throw a fit if you get a speck of dirt on you," retorted Arthur.

"We both know that's not true, Arthur. One word - stocks," said Morgana.

"If you think you're so great, prove it," challenged Arthur.

"Fine then," answered Morgana.

With nothing more to say to each other, they retreated to the farthest corners of the cramped cell. Arthur pulled his knees up and wrapped his arms around them, resting his chin there. Morgana decided to make it a more comfortable night; so she gathered the cleaner straw and bundled it to create a makeshift bed and place to sit. Then, she too, sat down. Silence filled the dim cell. Both wanted to prove they were superior. But they'd both won and lost; so it was anybody's game.

Arthur thought she was easy to manipulate and that he could easily win their challenge.

Well, Arthur and Merlin were in for a shock. If it was war they wanted, it was war they would get! Anything they could do, she and Gwen could do better!


	8. Confusion in Court Part 1

**Confusion in Court**

(Part 1)

A few weeks after the aided escape of the supposed sorcerer, Cedric, the air in and around the castle was very tense. King Uther was still extremely upset with the betrayal of his ward. It wasn't the first time and she really was getting out of hand. But the betrayal of his son was even worse. Arthur would have to assume the throne when he died, and he couldn't be getting in petty arguments with Morgana that led to treasonous activities. Both were now working in league with each other, probably, after protecting each other like that.

On the other hand, Prince Arthur and the Lady Morgana had increased their desire for revenge against each other, instead of being united as the king now believed.

The whole situation remained in a precarious balance until one day came the straw that broke the camel's back.

Prince Arthur was once again complaining to his poor manservant, Merlin about how miserable his life was. Unfortunately, at that moment, the Lady Morgana was returning from a walk with her faithful friend, Guinevere and she stopped at Arthur's chambers when she heard the soft, muffled yells and clatter of things shattering on the stone floor.

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Arthur," exclaimed Morgana as she burst into his chambers "What do you have to complain so much about? You can hear your shouts from the Great Hall."

"It's nothing you could possibly understand, Morgana," retorted Arthur "After all, what important duties and matters do you have to deal with."

"How dare you insinuate that I have nothing to worry about? My life is not as easy or as simple as you think," said Morgana "I just don't go around moaning about it every day; I just deal with it."

"Oh, sure," he replied, sarcastically "How could I forget how difficult it is to spend entire days shopping for dresses and jewellery; and of course, confronting the challenges of brushing your hair?"

"How can you even think for a moment that my life is as frivolous as you describe?" asked Morgana, about to explode.

But then Arthur gave her a look that side _'Is it not true'_? That was enough to make her lose her cool.

"And what about you, what the hell are you complaining about? Wherever you go, you're always revered and honoured," countered Morgana, spitting fire "You have everything a man could ever wish for; wealth, honour, respect and glory, even for actions not completed by you yourself. I spend days doing bloody pointless embroidery and singing lessons with the gossiping airheads of the court. No-one tells you what to do day and night, no-one tells you how to act or gives you into trouble for sword-fighting …"

"Seriously, Morgana," said Arthur, cutting her off, fuming now as well "I have to respond to for my actions in front of my knights, in front of people, in front of my father, and in front of my king. You're the one who has no obligations to anyone. You're the one who has the easiest life."

After this outburst, Merlin and Gwen exchanged troubled glances. They knew their friends too well to know that this argument would end there.

"Very well; do you really think my life is easier than your own?" probed Morgana, completely beside herself with fury.

"I know so," replied Arthur, tartly.

"Then prove it," challenged Morgana "Beginning tomorrow, we exchange roles in court for a whole week. You will be Uther's perfect ward, doing everything that you think is simple, including embroidery and helping the townsfolk with basic problems, as I do; and I shall act like the royal prat doing all the things you find so terrible including training with the knights and hunting. So do you accept the challenge?"

The three people listening were astonished, but Arthur recovered quickly.

"Obviously I'll accept. This is the easiest challenge I'll ever take part in, in my whole life," answered Arthur, haughtily "On one condition; there is no time limit. We keep going until you admit defeat."

"Or until Uther kills you both," muttered Merlin, knowing this was a _very_ bad idea.

"Until you admit defeat, more like," countered Morgana "Being Uther's ward isn't as easy as you think; especially always standing up to Uther."

Gwen exchanged a last, anxious look with Merlin before leaving the chambers with Morgana.

_Yes, this situation would end badly; very badly. But none of them had any idea how bad..._


	9. Confusion in Court Part 2

_A/N - Hi, everyone. So here's the next update. It is one of the longer chapters so I hope you enjoy it. Well, I won't keep rambling on. Here it is. Please review, favourite or add to alert. And thanks to everyone who already has, it means a lot :)_

**Confusion in Court**

(Part 2)

The next day, Morgana and Arthur exited the council chambers last. Although they'd swapped places in the court, no-one had noticed anything different, and if they had, they didn't mention it.

"This is war, Arthur Pendragon," said Morgana, noticing his smug expression.

"Oh, yes; I'm going to attack you with sewing needles," retorted Arthur, mockingly.

"We shall see how easy you find my life, Arthur; we shall see," said Morgana, smirking in a way that Arthur finds infuriating.

"And you shall see how hard it is to have the weight of the kingdom resting on your shoulders," responded Arthur, frustrated.

"Well, I'm off to train the knights now, Lady Arthur. Have fun in your singing lesson. I'm sure you really will enjoy the stress-free life of not having to worry about anything at all," drawled Morgana, before turning on her heel.

As she walked, Morgana was sure to adapt some of the arrogant saunter that almost all of the knights used because they thought they were the top dogs of Camelot. Arthur looked and growled as he headed to the chambers where he was due to have a singing lesson; a _singing_ lesson. What good was learning to sing anyway? That's what entertainers were for. Still, there was no way he'd ever admit it to Morgana.

After de-touring to her chambers to put on her armour, Morgana went out onto the training ground and pulled a sword from the stand.

"Let's get started, then," said Morgana, boldly.

"Lady Morgana," responded the knights, surprised.

"Yes, has anyone got any problems?" asked Morgana in her most commanding voice.

"Well, my lady; you don't know how to swordfight," replied one of the younger knights, cockily.

"Oh, don't I; well, you, come over here," ordered Morgana, extremely annoyed.

The knight looked slightly scared now, but he headed over to her with his head held high: as a knight should.

Morgana swung her sword around and then got into a fighting stance.

"Let's see, then, shall we," challenged Morgana, confidently.

"My lady, it wouldn't be proper," protested the knight, flustered.

"Do it," ordered Morgana.

The knight unsheathed his own sword without further comment and started circling his opponent. He launched into a fast attack, using his brute force. Morgana managed to fend off each attack. She hadn't really expected the knight to use all of his strength on fighting her, but she had obviously given him too little credit; he wasn't all mouth, after all. She sucked her lip in concentration and then launched her own attack. Instead of strength, she used her small stature and agility to her advantage. The knight was obviously stronger in full-force blows and lacked in the strategic areas; because a few minutes of Morgana side-stepping and false attacks, she successfully disarmed the knight and knocked him to the ground.

"A few weeks before you arrived, I beat Arthur in the tournament. And it looks like I can fight," said Morgana, smugly, pointing her sword to the very ashamed knight's chest.

"Yes, my lady," mumbled the knight, before rising to his feet and reclaiming his sword.

"So, how about we begin training now," said Morgana, smirking.

That knight, Sir Marcus, wouldn't live his defeat down. Plus, she'd managed to resurface Arthur's defeat. Well, the royal prat deserved it for saying that her life was simple and pointless. Sir Marcus really would regret insulting her.

Morgana ordered the knights to pair off and spar, while she practiced her fighting stances. The knights seemed to be joking around and mocking her, so she decided to step things up a bit.

"Do you all act like this with his royal pratness Prince Arthur?" questioned Morgana.

"We're not sure what you mean, my _lady_," replied several of the knights, emphasizing the face that she was a lady.

"I may be a lady, but I'm just as strong as any of you," retorted Morgana, acting a little bit arrogant for her liking; but in the presence 0f the knights she thought that was the best way to act.

"Prove it," challenged one of the older, more muscular knights, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"Right, then," said Morgana "I want you all to run around the training grounds for as long as you can."

"What does that prove?" asked one of the knights.

"Well, I'll be doing it with you," replied Morgana.

The knights snorted with laughter.

"If you're sure, my lady, but you're only going to be humiliated," said the knights, laughing.

Morgana ignored their jibes. She was beginning to regret her hasty contest. She really hadn't thought it through. How was she supposed to keep running longer than fully trained knights? But she couldn't back out now or she would be a laughing stock.

"Let's begin then," she said, putting on an air of confidence.

Meanwhile, Arthur was walking to the chambers where Morgana's singing instructor was. The woman did a double take when Arthur walked in and sat down beside Lady Anna, Lady Eva and Lady Maria.

"My lord," said Lady Eva, confused.

"Good afternoon, Lady Eva," replied Arthur, smiling brightly.

"Excuse me, sire, but what are you doing here?" asked the tutor.

"I have come for a singing lesson, of course," replied Arthur, forcing himself to continue smiling.

"Very well, my lord," said the tutor in complete confusion.

Arthur settled back in the chair as the tutor begun to sing a very long and complicated song which went up and down in pitch sporadically, in his opinion.

"I love singing," whispered Lady Anna, giggling.

"Me too," said Arthur, only just managing to keep the sarcasm out of his tone.

"The Lady Morgana hates singing. She always sings out of tune and interrupts the tutor," gossiped Lady Maria.

"Does she now?" said Arthur with a genuine laugh.

Somehow, he didn't picture Morgana as the melodious lady who sung in perfect harmony. She would probably sing more like a cat being strangled. She never had been ladylike, much preferring activities meant for men. But she had such an easy life. Not that he wanted it.

"Ok, Anna, you go first," said the tutor, handing her a sheet of lyrics.

Lady Anna rose to her feet and blushed crimson at the thought of singing in front of the prince. Arthur found it incredibly amusing. But then Anna started to sing the melody; and even Arthur couldn't disagree that she had a beautiful voice; the way a lady should.

At the end of her song, she sat down and looked at her lap as her friends clapped enthusiastically.

Lady Eva wasn't as mellow, but she was still quite good. Lady Maria was much like Anna, tuneful except she kept stuttering and giggling.

"Arthur, it's your turn," said Anna as Maria sat down, still in a fit of giggles.

Arthur stood and the tutor nodded at him encouragingly.

"You can't be serious," he muttered to himself.

"Come on, now, don't be shy," said the tutor, brightly.

He scowled as his cheeks got hotter. Then, he began to sing. He hit all the wrong notes and got half of the Latin words wrong. It sounded an awful lot like a cat being strangled. The other ladies were choking and spluttering with laughter.

Arthur tore the music sheet in half and sat down, folding his arms and literally growling at his companions when they looked over at him, trying to a great extent to supress their snickers.

The prince was getting redder and redder and the tutor rapidly dismissed them before anything could happen.

Back in the training ground, Morgana's side was aching. She'd done over five laps of the field and her breathing was already raspy and she had an unnatural pain in her left side.

Only five out of the twenty knights had given up, and all eyes were now on her. She felt like she was going to collapse, but her pride drove her onwards through the terrible pain.

"You can always give up, my lady," said one of the knights ahead.

"Not a chance," replied Morgana, determinedly.

Two laps later, and Morgana was still gritting her teeth and pushing onwards. Maybe, Arthur did have a tough life after all. Not that she enjoyed pointless singing lessons or excessively boring and equally as pointless embroidery lessons.

By the end of the next lap, she thought her health really was at stake. She could barely breathe and her legs were burning like a fire. But she was too proud to admit defeat. She could die later, but right now she needed to prove herself to the knights.

Surveying them, she realized that there were only six more. The others at the side were looking quite surprised that she was still going. She was as well. She smiled at their shock and urged herself onwards.

Halfway through her next lap, she felt her lungs constricting and her legs could barely move forward. She decided that she would show the remaining knights that she was a lot smarter than them, if she wasn't as strong physical-wise as the remaining two.

Rather theatrically, she collapsed backwards. She made sure that her bum hit the ground first but all the knights just noticed her very over-the-top flinging her head back to the ground.

Morgana lay as still as she could and managed to curb her laughter, as the remaining knights crowded around her, anxiously.

Swiftly, she sat up and punched two of the knights in the face, sending them reeling backwards, kicked one of them in the groin, sending him to the ground and tripped the other one over.

Then, she rose to her feet and smirked triumphantly.

"What was that about women not being as good as men?" she asked "And knights should always be on guard."

And with that, she walked off. She was thoroughly exhausted from running and gasping for breath, but she had won against the knights and that was all that mattered. She probably looked a mess with her tangled hair and bright red face, but she had proved herself.

The next morning, at the doors of Uther's personal chambers, Morgana and Arthur arrived at more or less the same time. Both of them knew exactly why they had been called.

As the guards opened the doors, Morgana gave Arthur a smug look and Arthur gave her one daring her to continue their challenge.

"Right, will someone tell me what is going on," demanded Uther, a stony look on his face.

"Nothing," replied Morgana and Arthur in unison.

"So, Morgana, we'll start with you," continued Uther "Why were you training with the knights yesterday? And why were you running around the grounds?"

"Fine; I wanted to train with them and they were mocking me because I am a lady. So, I challenged them to see who could run for the longest," answered Morgana.

"And who won this challenge?" questioned Uther, glaring at her.

"I did," declared Morgana, proudly.

"I beg your pardon," queried the king.

Morgana smiled at Arthur who looked dumfounded.

"Well, we were running so I decided to see how on guard the knights were. I faked a collapse, rather well actually, and then I punched and kicked them: they weren't on guard at all times like they should be," explained Morgana, grinning "And just because I'm a lady, it doesn't mean I can't beat the knights. After all, I beat the whole lot of them; and don't forget I beat Prince Arthur in the tournament."

"Morgana, I'll deal with you in a minute," said Uther, sternly "Now, on to you, Arthur. What were you doing in a singing lesson?"

"I wanted to see what Morgana does with her days," replied Arthur "Apparently, she sings like a strangled cat; and causes trouble."

"Don't try to turn this round, Arthur Pendragon," warned Uther "Singing is an activity for ladies, not the prince. And Morgana, sword-fighting is for men."

"I don't want to be a lady," retorted Morgana "I'm much better at sword-fighting. I'd make an excellent knight."

"Morgana, you're a lady; like it or not. You are very privileged to be my ward; any other girl in your position would be in a convent," said Uther, angrily.

"Well, if you hadn't sent my father into battle without reinforcements, I wouldn't have to be your ward. My father would have let me act how I wanted to," yelled Morgana.

"Gorlois's death was a terrible accident; I had no part in it. And, if you are so determined to defy me, you can see what it's like not to be under my protection," Uther went on.

"I'm perfectly capable of protecting myself," said Morgana, smiling.

"You will both stop these ridiculous antics at once; or face further consequences," stated Uther.

"Of course, my lord," said Arthur and Morgana echoed him.

As they left the chambers, Arthur exchanged a sly look with her, and they went their separate ways. Arthur was heading to an embroidery lesson and Morgana to a hunting trip. Neither had any intention of stopping until one of them declared the other superior.

In the chambers where the embroidery took place, Arthur was annoyed to find the room occupied with most of the ladies of the court.

Compared to the singing lesson, the ladies didn't look too shocked. _The ladies really can't keep their mouths shut_, thought Arthur; _they spread something like wild fire_.

The ladies all lifted up their threaded pictures in pastel colours and began threading away neatly and efficiently. Well, most of them. The twin sisters Lana and Bell had a jumble of colours and picked threads, but they were having a good laugh.

In the centre of the chambers was a blood red design with a sword on it that had chaotic stitching and frayed edges. Arthur guessed it belonged to Morgana. After all, what other lady could be so useless in womanly tasks.

"Sire, can I help you?" asked the tutor, armed with a pastel blue reel of thread and needles.

"I wish to do embroidery," replied Arthur.

"Well… of course," said the tutor, nervously.

The woman sat down next to him and began moving her needles in an intricate pattern and slowly the corner of the design began to come together.

"You try," she encouraged.

Arthur groaned and took the needles and thread. He started to thread randomly and the tutor sighed in annoyance.

"No, like this," she said, demonstrating again.

By this time, all the ladies had abandoned their own embroidery and were looking intently at the prince doing feminine activities. Once again, Arthur messed it up and the tutor started sucking her teeth.

"You go under, over, across, under, over, across," she explained.

Arthur reached over and snatched his mucked up thread and needles back and started furiously on the technique she had described.

Several times he pricked his fingers on the needles and then the thread just got totally tangled. In a temper he threw the needle across the chambers.

"Ooooooh," chorused the ladies, giggling, as the needles clattered off the stone.

Arthur yelled in frustration, and stormed out of the chambers, kicking over his chair as he went. The ladies were just too irritating and gossipy. Embroidery was just too damn complicated. Being feminine was just a horrible and torturous experience. But, he was still not backing down and admitting that to Morgana. She would be fed up of manly activities soon enough and then she would hopefully relinquish the challenge.

In the meantime, he decided to go to the library and pick a book to read. After all, that could be considered ladylike if he read it in the gardens, surrounded by sickly-sweet scented flowers and tiny, fluttery butterflies.

Meanwhile, Morgana was walking out to the stables to go hunting with the other knights. Although she wouldn't admit it, she was still exhausted and aching all over. She'd only had one day as the prince and she was already tired of it. She enjoyed sword-fighting, but she'd never even been hunting. Still, at least the knights had sort of accepted she wasn't the typical female and she'd still be horse-riding, so at least some enjoyment could be had.

In the stables, she expertly saddled her white mare and mounted with less ease than usual due to her tight, sore muscles. Not that she let onto the knights about her aches. What was the point of beating them all and then being defeated by the after effects of strenuous activity? Still, Arthur would call off the challenge soon enough, he would be worse at tolerating singing, embroidery, reading and writing than she was.

Morgana armed herself with a few daggers and let the knights take the crossbows and spears, since they were more experienced.

As the group of ten rode out, Morgana brought up the rear. One knight managed to shoot a pheasant and the others congratulated him. Morgana rolled her eyes and then spotted a small rabbit. She took her dagger and threw it at the rabbit's heart. The defenceless animal dropped dead and Morgana dismounted and put it in her bag.

"Well done, my lady," congratulated Sir Leon.

"Thank you," replied Morgana, smiling.

The group continued to ride through the forest, keeping a look out for any unfortunate animals. Suddenly, there was a rustle in the trees

"Why don't you take down that deer, my lady?" said one of the knights, in what Morgana took as a sarcastic tone.

She took one of her daggers and held it, ready to take down the deer. She felt a bit sad that she was about to take the unprotected deer's life. But, the determination to prove to the knights that she wasn't a stupid lady won over.

Swiftly, she threw the dagger straight for the deer's heart. But instead of going straight, the blade curved to the side. The deer sensed the oncoming knife and ran off, leaving the blade to embed itself in the truck of the tree just to the side of where it had stood.

Sniggers erupted amongst the knights and Morgana growled at them.

"Not another word or you'll be that tree," she threatened, her cheeks glowing pink.

With that, she turned her horse and galloped back to Camelot. She was well aware of the murmurs and comments from behind her. Men were such idiots.

Later that day, Uther told everyone that a foreign princess was coming in two days' time and a feast was to be held in her honour. He didn't mention the day's events so he obviously didn't know that Morgana and Arthur had disobeyed him and blatantly lied to him.

"Morgana, I dare you to ask another lady to accompany you to the feast," said Arthur, a grin plastered on his face.

"Of course, as long as you ask another knight," responded Morgana.

Arthur nodded and then the two of them retired to their chambers, thoroughly fed up with the life of the other but giving up not an option.

_A/N - Please, please, please review :DDDD Hope you enjoyed :)))_


	10. Confusion in Court Part 3

A/N - Hi, anyone still reading. Here is the chapter posted up. This is the second last part of Confusion in Court. Me and Morgana1992 will then do another situation. Please read and review. :)

P.S - Sorry if I posted this chapter wrong last night, I clicked the wrong button. Apologies, but I was rushing.

Read on and press that little blue button afterwards. It only takes a minute and you will get a faster upload. 

**Confusion in Court**

(Part 3)

"Hello, Beth," said Morgana, sweetly.

"Hello, Morgana," replied Beth, smiling broadly.

"I was wondering, who you are taking to the feast," asked Morgana.

"I'm not sure, yet," replied Beth.

"Well, would you do me the honour of coming with me?" questioned Morgana.

"Morgana, I know what's going on," said Beth.

"What do you mean?" asked Morgana, attempting to act innocent.

"I know that you and Prince Arthur have switched places. I watched you in training," explained Beth.

"So will you accompany me?" questioned Morgana.

"I'm sorry, my lady, but I can't get involved," answered Beth "If King Uther ever found out, he'd throw me in the dungeons."

"No, he wouldn't," argued Morgana, knowing he would probably have her exiled.

"I'm not doing it," finished Beth "But I wish you the best of luck. It certainly brightens up Camelot."

Morgana sighed and nodded. All the ladies would be too terrified of the consequences to esc0rt her. But, Arthur wouldn't even get one either. It had been his stupid idea in the first place.

"Good afternoon, Sir Harold," said Arthur, going up to the knight and punching him in the arm.

"It is, sire," replied Sir Harold.

"So which lady are you taking to the feast?" asked Arthur, curiously.

"I was hoping to ask Lady Maria," answered Sir Harold.

"Well, why don't we go together," suggested Arthur.

"I assume you're joking," retorted Harold, chuckling.

"I'm serious," protested Arthur.

"If you were anyone else, you would pay dearly for this insult," threatened Harold.

Arthur stomped off in the other direction, cursing under his breath. He just hoped that Morgana hadn't been able to get herself an escort or he'd never, ever hear the end of it.

The two of them met up in the courtyard over an hour later.

"So, did you find anyone?" asked Arthur, praying for the answer to be no.

"No, and I bet you never, either," retorted Morgana "But, Lady Beth figured it all out, about our challenge. This just proves us girls are way better than boys; we have brains.

"I didn't," answered Arthur, not mentioning about Harold.

"Well, I propose that we go together. In role, obviously," suggested Morgana.

"I suppose that's all we can do," replied Arthur.

"But, I shall be wearing armour and your cape, and of course your crown," said Morgana "And you shall just wear breeches and a tunic, with some jewellery though."

"My father will be livid," Arthur pointed out.

"You aren't scared are you? Since you're acting like me you should be the one defying the king," taunted Morgana.

"Of course I'm not scared," objected Arthur "Bring it on."

Morgana cocked her head to the side and smiled at him.

"I've got to go and train with the knights, perhaps you should go shopping," she said, before sauntering off towards the grounds.

Arthur scowled after her and then remembered he was supposed to be acting like a lady. He softened his features until he was smiling and then set off for the market.

Arthur stopped by a jewellery stand owned by a pretty young woman. He rummaged through the vast array of necklaces, bracelets, rings and earrings with huge sparkling stones and tiny white pearls.

A blood red ruby suspended from a thin silver chain. It was the sort of thing Morgana would wear to a feast to make some sort of statement; or whatever. He decided it was his best option.

"I'll take this," concluded Arthur, handing the necklace to the woman.

"Will you be interested in the bracelet to match?" enquired the woman, hopefully, pointing at a thin silver and ruby bracelet.

"Yes," agreed Arthur, deciding that more was better if he was acting as the First Lady of Camelot.

The woman's face lit up as she took his gold coins and pocketed them happily.

"May I ask who the lucky lady is?" asked the woman as she began to put the jewellery in cotton pouches.

"It's for me," replied Arthur, loudly.

"Oh … um … sire," stuttered the stunned seller.

"Is there any problems?" asked Arthur, blushing.

"Of course not," said the woman, more or less recovered now "I hope you like your purchase."

Arthur smiled sweetly as he took the two pouches and headed back to his chambers to organize for tomorrow night's feast or read a book or something equally as boring or ladylike.

The next evening, Morgana rapped on Arthur's door.

"I'm coming," he said in a forced polite tone.

"Hurry up; the feast starts in half an hour. What are you doing, brushing your hair?" asked Morgana in a teasing tone, continuing to thump the door.

Arthur opened the door and stepped back to see Morgana dressed in her very unpractical armour with a red cape with the gold dragon emblem draped over her shoulders. His father was going to throw a fit.

"I need your crown," said Morgana.

"Oh, come on. You weren't really serious," complained Arthur.

"I'm perfectly serious, now hand it over and I'll help you put your jewellery on. From what I heard you bought a ruby necklace and bracelet. Not bad taste, I must say; you could have done a lot worse," said Morgana, gloatingly "Now, be a lady and let me into your chambers."

Arthur smiled at her and let her in. She really was enjoying this. She hated all the fuss of feasts, even though she was the main attraction. She was probably having a great time wearing the armour and now _his_ crown.

Begrudgingly, Arthur handed over his gold circlet and Morgana placed it on top of her head, proudly. She has secured her hair in a tight bun at the back of her head, something she rarely did.

"Give me your necklace so I can put it on for you," offered Morgana.

She picked it up off the table and Arthur moved over to her. Once it was fastened tightly, his bracelet was put on and Morgana surveyed him.

"You look perfectly feminine now," she said with a smile.

"Hadn't we better get off to the feast," Arthur interrupted her taunts.

"Of course," agreed Morgana "You better go along first then, I always do."

Angry that he had to be the first person to be seen by the courtiers and the foreign princess, but most importantly his father, Arthur set off for the great hall.

When he got there, the guards almost did a double take but wisely didn't mention anything about his appearance.

Morgana arrived a few minutes later and offered him her arm, as he always did when he had to accompany her.

The pair went arm-in-arm into the bustling hall. All eyes were on Arthur's jewellery and Morgana's attire and crown. The foreign princess looked completely perplexed. Uther's eyes bore into them with such intensity that both of them tried hard not to flinch.

"My lady," said Morgana, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"My champion," responded Arthur through gritted teeth.

Then, they continued to walk towards their seats and Uther; and their impending trouble for their humiliating antics.

"What the hell are you two doing?" asked an irate Uther.

"Nothing, sire," answered Morgana, putting on a meek voice that was meant to imitate Arthur.

Arthur himself stayed silent in the face of his father's fury until Morgana gave him a pointed look from where she had her head bowed, a smirk plastered on her face but hidden from Uther's line of sight for now.

"We are escorting each other to the feast," he replied, smart-mouthed, thinking that was what Morgana would most definitely say.

"How dare you continue to humiliate me? I warned you both that these ridiculous antics must end several days ago. You have both directly disobeyed me and humiliated us and Princess Mia," said Uther, his voice low and his eyes cold like a snakes "I order you both to go back to your chambers with your servants; if either of you moves then you will regret it. Do you understand?"

Morgana nodded submissively, definitely overstepping the mark of acting like Arthur. And Arthur kept his head held high and squared his shoulders before walking confidently out of the hall, ignoring the confused people.

The guests were shocked by the way that the prince and lady were dressed. It was just unnatural. And, Morgana had always been the one to act smart and defy the king, not Arthur. He'd always been apologetic and a mini-replica of the king. The guests were very confused indeed; especially Princess Mia. She had at first concluded that this was how they acted in Camelot, but when the king went off like that, she was even more bewildered than before.

Back in her chambers, Morgana was relaying her antics to a shocked Gwen who appeared to be stifling her laughter.

"Oh, come on, it was funny," said Morgana, giggling.

"Morgana, you need to stop laughing. The king will be here soon and he won't be too pleased if he thinks you find it funny," responded Gwen, seriously.

"Ok, I'll try," agreed Morgana, managing to stop her giggles altogether.

A few seconds later though, she had a flashback of Uther's face and Arthur being disrespectful, and burst into a stream of fresh laughter.

Gwen went over to the table and poured Morgana some water, ordering her to drink it, since she seemed nowhere near ready to cease her giggles.

Morgana obeyed Gwen, and after sipping half of the cup and concentrating on her breathing, had stopped the laughter once and for all.

"I've just had a great idea, Gwen," she said, after sucking on a grape for a few minutes, thoughtfully.

"What is it?" asked Gwen, warily.

And Morgana launched into her very detailed plan, and although she found it funny, she managed to contain herself.

An anxious Gwen waited patiently as her friend started to write a letter to Arthur; giving him details of the dare. She had tried to persuade her otherwise, but Morgana, being Morgana, had been adamant that she was doing it. And eventually Gwen accepted that she was fighting a losing battle and stood beside her as she scribbled away furiously and in her best handwriting.

"Give this to Merlin, and tell him to give it to Arthur," said Morgana, rolling up the parchment and handing it to her faithful friend.

"But…" Gwen said, not finishing her sentence.

"If anyone asks what it is or looks at it, just tell them I ordered you to give it to the prince's manservant and you have no idea what it's about," explained Morgana "I'll happily take the blame. Anyway, if my plan works it won't be me on the receiving end of Uther's temper."

Gwen shook her head but left the chambers to find Merlin.

"Hello, Gwen," said Merlin, giving her a goofy smile as she rushed over to him.

"Hi, Merlin, I'm glad I found you," replied Gwen, handing over the scroll "Morgana wants you to give this to Arthur, and give her a reply."

"This can't be good for Arthur," said Merlin, smiling broadly.

"Trust me, it isn't," continued Gwen.

"Well, you better come with me, so that you can take the reply back to the Lady Morgana," concluded Merlin, leading the way to his master's chambers.

Once there, Gwen stayed out in the corridor, relaying the guards the story Morgana had told her to. Although both Morgana and Arthur were confined to their chambers, they were still allowed to pass letters.

"Arthur, this is from Morgana," said Merlin, handing him the rolled up parchment.

"God help us," retorted Arthur, but he unrolled the paper all the same and began to read.

Dear Lady Arthur,

Now, since none of us have given up our challenge to see whose life is tougher, I dare you to climb of your chambers' window, as I have done twice, if you remember. Then, you shall refuse to apologize to your father, saying you deny everything. Now, don't be such a goody-two-shoes and don't back down. After all, if I, a woman with an easy life can defy the king, Camelot's top warrior can, as well; especially as you are acting in the role of me.

Of course, if you accept my challenge, I will drop my act of defiance and swallow my pride to apologize to your father. I will say I am truly sorry and I will even go so far to say so in front of the court, just so that you have proof that I do actually do it. Although, I don't ever back down from a dare.

Kind Regards,

Prince Morgana

"What does she think she's playing at?" asked Arthur, tossing the letter to a curious Merlin.

"Well, she is asking you to climb out of your window in return for her swallowing her pride," summarized Merlin, after scanning the letter quickly.

"I know that, idiot," retorted Arthur "I mean, doesn't she know the trouble I'll get in to."

"I think that's the point, sire," explained Merlin "I mean she doesn't believe you'll do it."

"Well, of course I'm going to do it. I'm not going to let her win," concluded Arthur, determinedly "On one condition."

"And what's that?" asked Merlin, eagerly.

"That Morgana begs for my father's forgiveness," stated Arthur.

"I shall tell Gwen," said Merlin, grinning as he turned to leave and give the message to his friend.

_Exactly twenty minutes later, it was agreed that Arthur would climb out of his window and Morgana would beg Uther's forgiveness. Arthur would climb out of his window with immediate effect but Morgana would wait patiently for Uther to come. This would be an even stranger night. _


	11. Confusion in Court Part 4

**Confusion in Court**

(Part Four)

Around one hour after setting their challenge, Arthur was preparing to make the climb. Merlin had smuggled him a coil of rope which was now tied securely around the pillar.

"Ok, Merlin," said Arthur, grabbing the loose end of the rope "I'm ready."

Merlin nodded and then went to the pillar, just to make sure the rope didn't come undone.

Without further ado, Arthur lowered himself out of his window until he was dangling around ten feet from the ground. Slowly and steadily, he lowered himself; hand over hand, to the ground.

Once his feet were on solid ground again, he smiled and then headed off towards the lower town. Morgana had made it quite clear that she wanted him to be caught; so he would. It would be worth all of the punishment in the world to see her beg for forgiveness in front of the court. She would never live it down, just as he'd never been able to live down his defeat in the tournament because she cheated.

Suddenly, there was the sound of many guards' feet pounding against the ground.

"Sire, the king has ordered you be apprehended until he requests your presence," said the guard.

"Get your hands off me," ordered Arthur, struggling vehemently as Morgana would.

But more guards just swarmed in and grabbed his limbs.

Outnumbered, he was dragged to his chambers and locked in. He went over to his window to find a huddle of guards waiting underneath.

Sighing, he went over to his bed and lay down to await his father, rehearsing what he was going to say to defy his father and show Morgana exactly how bad he could be.

Meanwhile, Morgana was sitting at her dressing table, idly brushing her long hair. She couldn't believe she was going to do this. Still, it would be worth it to see Arthur defy his father for once. And, she wouldn't be in too much trouble if she apologized. Plus, Uther would be totally shocked at her attitude change.

When she heard heavy, purposeful footsteps approaching, Morgana quickly went over to her dresser and splashed some water into her eyes. Then, she concentrated and squeezed tears from her eyes and rubbed them to make them looked red. The water that had gone in her eyes gave the irritated look, as well.

The door clicked open and Morgana kept her back turned, wiping the smirk off of her face and trying to put on an expression which looked somewhat upset and humble.

"Morgana," said Uther, sternly and with a tad of weariness at the oncoming battle.

"Your majesty," responded Morgana, slowly turning around and curtsying low.

Uther was visibly shocked at the state of her for a moment, but he quickly regained his composure.

"Morgana, you have humiliated Camelot with your ridiculous escapade, in front of our guest, Princess Mia," continued Uther.

"I know, your grace," said Morgana, sobbing "And I'm truly sorry. I really don't know what came over me. What I did was childish and shameful."

"Well, I am glad that you have … seen sense, but this is not the first time, Morgana," Uther went on.

Morgana hung her head, letting her curtain of midnight black hair fall over, partially covering her tear-streaked face.

"I know," she said, meekly "And, I have decided that, if you will allow it, I shall apologize in front of the court tomorrow."

"That is an excellent idea," declared Uther, smiling broadly, well for him, anyway.

The king moved over to her and lifted her chin up, to make her look into his eyes.

"I am glad you know your place, now, child. Arthur seems to be having some obedience trouble, now. At least I no longer have two battles to fight," he said, patting her arm.

"Well, you have been a gracious host and I should be more grateful," continued Morgana "You are, after all, the king. I was wrong to have ever disobeyed you or insulted you."

"I shall expect you in court at precisely noon tomorrow. And I hope, Morgana, that this is not a trick," said Uther, stern again.

"Your grace, you know I respect you too much to ever betray you like that," said Morgana, milking it.

Uther just nodded before leaving and the door was locked again.

Morgana smirked as she sank back against her pillows. As she drifted off to sleep, Morgana wondered how Arthur had got on. She had seen a commotion from her window, and was pretty sure it was the dear prince; at least, she hoped it was. It better be, because she was going to humiliate herself in front of the court, in return for him releasing how brave she was to stand up for the innocents persecuted by the tyrant king.

The next morning, Arthur woke up to Merlin pulling open the curtains, allowing blinding light to enter.

"_Mer_lin," groaned Arthur, putting a pillow over his head.

The movement sent a dull pain through his neck. Slowly, the events of the previous night became as clear as cut glass.

"Sorry," said Merlin with a cheeky grin "But your father wants you in court in two hours."

Reluctantly, Arthur got out of bed, and started to eat the breakfast Merlin had brought. The fork that was lying to the side was used to stab at the apple. As he stuck holes into the piece of fruit, Arthur wished it was Morgana. She was so annoying. He couldn't believe he'd actually agreed to this. But then he remembered why. She was going to beg forgiveness today and he would get to watch it.

"If you've quite finished destroying the apple, you've got to be ready in less than an hour," said Merlin, sarcastically.

"I give the orders, _Mer_lin, not you," retorted Arthur, but he still moved behind the screen as his breeches and trousers were placed over the top.

It hadn't taken long to get prepared for the day, and Arthur was now pacing in his chambers, trying to plan what he was going to say. He wanted to beat Morgana at this game. No way was he going to lose and apologize.

Meanwhile, Morgana woke up early from one of her nightmares. At first she was terrified and shaking, but when she remembered what day it was, the sweating and sobbing subsided.

Gwen arrived just after dawn to find Morgana propped up against her pillows, eyes closed and a smirk on her face.

"My lady," she said, placing the basket of newly washed dressed down.

"Good morning, Gwen," replied Morgana, chirpily.

"Well, you've got to go to the council session today and apologize," continued Gwen "And the prince has been called also."

"Has he now?" mumbled Morgana, drifting into her own little world as Gwen busied herself with preparing breakfast.

Morgana had been thinking about their deal all of last night until she fell asleep. It didn't bother her too much to apologize. Sure, Arthur would taunt and tease her, but she could build her reputation up again. Seeing the look on Uther's face when his son defied him would be worth it one thousand times over. She would love to see Arthur punished; since he was always so smug every time she was confined to her chambers or some other punishment the king came up with. She only hoped he wasn't too cowardly and actually stuck to it. Otherwise, she would not be amused. It would be like holding a red rag to a bull, a flame to wood; not good.

Morgana dressed in her purple and blue lace dress and soft ballet shoes. She had Gwen braid half of her hair and left the rest loose and swept over one shoulder. When she looked in the mirror, Morgana was satisfied that she didn't look her usual fiery self. She looked perfect for this particular occasion.

Then, the guards called to escort her to the council chambers.

Both Morgana and Arthur entered the council chambers at the same time, but neither looked at the other, focusing solely on the audience.

The chambers were packed with courtiers and their servants, and King Uther was sitting in his throne with his crown on his head.

"Morgana," he said, standing up to look more powerful.

"My lord," replied Morgana, curtsying.

"Now, your recent antics have been unacceptable. I will give you one chance to explain yourself to avoid further punishment," continued Uther.

With a quick glance in Arthur's direction, Morgana stepped forward so she was standing directly in front of her guardian.

"My lord; you have been generous, and kind, and fair," she began, focusing on keeping her apologetic, angelic expression "I truly don't know what came over me. I acted without thinking of the consequences. I have defied you and insulted you, and I am truly sorry."

Morgana squeezed her eyes and a single tear rolled down her cheek. She tried to look away so that it wasn't overly obvious.

A moment later, she wiped her tear away and looked up at Uther.

"I beg of you, please forgive me, your grace," said Morgana.

"I'm glad you have seen sense, my dear. And we all make mistakes," answered Uther "Come and sit with me. We shall forget all about this incident."

"Thank you, my lord," said Morgana, before walking with elegance to her seat to Uther's right.

"Now, Arthur, it's your turn," said Uther, sternly.

"Yes," responded Arthur.

"You too took part in this escapade, so what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Uther.

"I didn't do anything," replied Arthur.

"Arthur, stop this behaviour at once. Morgana has had enough sense to apologize, now it's your turn," demanded Uther.

"What did I do?" asked Arthur.

"You humiliated Camelot. You humiliated me. You humiliated yourself," answered Uther "Now; I will give you one last chance."

"It was just a bit of fun," continued Arthur "And I shall not apologize for that."

"Very well, you are confined to your chambers for two weeks on only bread and water," declared Uther "Guards."

As Arthur was led out, he put a smirk on his face, as Morgana would have done. She returned one sneakily so that Uther didn't see.

So none of them had one this particular challenge, but it had been fun to annoy the king. But now both of them were back to planning.


	12. I'm Coming With You Part 1

A/N - Sorry it took so long. This mostly follows an episode but things will spice up in the next chapter :D Enjoy, and please review :DDDDDD

**I'm Coming With You**

(Part 1)

"I hope your trip isn't too upsetting," said Arthur as Morgana lifted up the reigns of her horse.

"Thank you, Arthur," she said as a servant arranged her red cloak behind her.

Arthur nodded his head and then went to speak with the head of the guards, probably threatening them if they didn't return the Lady Morgana safely.

Today, Morgana was in no mood for arguing or being annoyed about the dozen guards that were to accompany her and Gwen. She was going to visit her father's grave on her annual trip. Uther was unable to attend but Morgana did not feel too upset by it, anyway. Today was about her father and remembering everything she could about him, which was not much, considering she was only 10 when he died in battle. She forced herself not to think bitterly about Uther sending him to fight and not giving him the promised reinforcements. Today was supposed to be about mourning her father, not having a shouting match with her guardian.

Gwen laid a gentle hand on Morgana's arm, signalling that they were riding out. Morgana smiled at her maid and brought her horse to a trot as they exited the gates, the citizens of the kingdom stopping and curtseying as they passed by.

"You look troubled, Gwen," said Morgana as they trotted through the forest in silence.

"I'm fine," said Gwen with a smile at her friend.

"You're very secretive these days. I'm beginning to think there's a man involved," teased Morgana with a wide smile.

"When do I get to meet any decent men," replied Gwen with a small laugh.

Morgana was about to reply when there was a loud battle cry and dozens of men started running down the embankments on either side of them at a furious pace, the odd one of them riding on a sturdy horse.

Instantly, the knights of Camelot drew their swords and begun to fight as Morgana and Gwen were trapped in the middle of a frantic fight. Morgana cursed that she had not been permitted to bring her sword.

Morgana wanted to close her eyes when she saw a knight's throat being slit as he fell from his horse, but she forced them open and looked around for a way of escape for her and Gwen.

"My ladies, you must follow me," said an unfamiliar knight.

Before they could follow his command, one of the men shot an arrow into his back.

Suddenly, Morgana felt hands around her waist and they dragged her from her horse despite her desperate attempts to keep her feet firmly in the stirrups. She screamed at the incompetency of the knights as she looked over to see that Gwen was also being removed from her horse.

A knight rode past and slew the man who had his arms tightly encasing Gwen and then did the same for Morgana.

"Gwen, head for the path," yelled Morgana, trying to be heard above the sounds of the battle.

The two women began to run up the steep hill, trying to go faster as they lifted their cloaks up to prevent them tripping.

Morgana looked around for one of the knights as they reached the top of the mound to come face to face with a man astride a white horse, his sword drawn and his leather clothing unscathed, showing no trace of blood or tears.

"I warn you, I'm Uther Pendragon's ward, he'll have your heads if any harm comes to me," stated Morgana, looking into his eyes.

The mysterious man removed the cloth from around his mouth.

"I have no intention of harming you, my lady; at least not yet."

Morgana looked at Gwen who looked absolutely petrified and then back at the battle in which only a few of her guards remained alive and fighting.

"You're much more valuable to me, alive, my Lady Morgana."

_Oh great_, thought Morgana, _so now I'm going to be held for ransom_.

Two large men gripped onto her upper arms tightly, and one did the same for Gwen. Morgana struggled vehemently in their grasps, kicking out in all directions. Gwen was more placid and realised that their struggles were futile.

"Will you stop it, my lady," said one of the men holding her in a gruff voice.

"Let me go," she screamed.

"Not for the price you're worth_, my dear_," he replied before they both lifted her into the air, making her kicks connect with empty air.

The way they were supporting her by only her arms, leaving her legs dangling above the forest floor, was painful, but she bit her tongue, refusing to show weakness in front of the two of them.

"He's coming. You know what you must do," said Morgana, as she stood by the tent flaps with her maid.

Gwen nodded. Morgana had spent the majority of the night pacing up and down the tent, trying to think of an escape plan. Gwen had thought as well, but in the end, Morgana had come up with an idea. If it worked, they would be back in Camelot by nightfall, but if it failed there would be hell to pay, and they both knew it. It was certainly a risky plan, but it was the only one they had.

Morgana stepped back as their captor opened the tent flaps and stepped in, several of his men stood behind him.

"I trust you are … comfortable," he said.

"I demand to know where you're taking us," said Morgana.

"You'll find out soon enough," replied the man "We've got a long journey ahead of us. Now get some rest."

Morgana followed him out of the tent, so far undetected by the men outside it. _She could have just made a run for it,_ she thought.

"I wish to bathe."

"You wish to bathe?" asked the man as if he thought she was stupid, as his men got up and drew their swords.

"I am the king's ward; and accustomed to certain standards," said Morgana, her head high as she tried not to look intimidated "I am sure you are quite content to stink like a pig, but I am not."

"The Lady Morgana wishes to bathe," said the man in an incredulous tone.

Morgana looked back at Gwen who quickly put her head down, nervous.

"Who wants to help me guard her?"

A chorus of laughter and cheers erupted from the men and Morgana suddenly felt extremely uncomfortable and apprehensive.

Morgana stood on the river bank, five of her captor's men blocking the way back to camp, one of them gripping Gwen by the arm.

Slowly, she began to untie the back of her dress, trying to draw it out as long as possible.

"I'm afraid you may find the water a little … icy," said the man with a toothless grin.

"I'm sure I'll manage," retorted Morgana.

Trying to look inconspicuous, she snuck a glance at Gwen, who was still in the man's grasp.

"If you were any kind of gentlemen, you'd give me some privacy," said Morgana, as she began to work on the fastening on the front of her dress.

"Well, unfortunately for you, I am no kind of gentleman," he said, taking a step forward "Now get on with it."

Morgana untied the rest of her outer gown and began to pull it off her arms as he smiled. She looked over at Gwen again to discover that the man had released her and she had now stepped back a bit. She hoped their plan worked.

Morgana felt the men's eyes undressing her as she removed her dress completely, leaving her in only her slip. They were fast running out of time.

"You could at least turn your backs," she said, trying to cover herself with her bunched up dress.

"So you can make a run for it?" questioned the man in charge "Do you think I'm that stupid?"

"I think you're very stupid," said Morgana, stepping forward and ditching the bundle in her hand.

Gwen quickly moved to pull the sword from his belt as Morgana punched him hard in the face. Her maid then tossed the sword through the air, Morgana catching it nimbly in one hand.

Morgana slashed at the first man who drew his sword against her, sending him to the floor. Then, she slashed at her main captor's arm, before backing away and spinning the sword in her arm.

"Run," she ordered.

The two girls bolted along the riverbank path, Morgana clutching the hilt of the stolen sword, feeling much more confident with it.

"No, no, this way," said Morgana, as Gwen was about to make her way down the most obvious path.

They kept running at breakneck speed.

The sounds of their abductors could be heard behind them, and they both looked back as they continued to run, pushing themselves to go faster.

Gwen screamed as she tripped over a protruding tree root, landing face down on the ground.

"Gwen!" said Morgana, panicking as she rushed to her side "Come on, put your arm around my shoulder, come on."

"No, no, no, no, no," protested Gwen, shaking her head as Morgana helped her two her feet "We'll never out run them. You must go on without me."

"I'm not leaving you behind," said Morgana as Gwen fell back to the ground.

"Morgana, go, please, you must get help," Gwen tried to persuade her as the pounding of feet snapping the twigs and crunching leaves grew louder.

"Take this," said Morgana, handing Gwen the sword.

"Go," ordered Gwen as she hopped behind a tree, crouching down, clutching the sword tightly.

Morgana continued to run, determined that Gwen's sacrifice would not be in vain. The sound of a man's scream caused her to pause and turn around. The forest was now silent and she seriously contemplated turning back. But she forced herself onward, her arms and legs being scratched mercilessly.

"Arthur," said Morgana as she came stumbling through the trees.

"Morgana," said Arthur, taking in her bruised body and a bleeding gash on her forehead "Where's Guinevere?"

Morgana shook her head, trying to hold back the tears.

Merlin came forward and checked Morgana's head wound despite her protests that it was only a scrape.

"It'll be ok. Gaius will probably put a bit of salve on it, but you won't need stitches for it, I shouldn't think," said Merlin.

Then, two knights came forward and helped Morgana onto a horse.

"Let's get back to Camelot," ordered Arthur, mounting his own stallion, clutching the ransom note they'd discovered in his hand.

"It's such a relief to see you safe," said Uther, rising from his throne as Morgana rushed in, dressed in a simple green dress "I couldn't bear the thought of anyone harming you."

"The bandits still have Gwen," said Morgana, as Uther stroked her cheek.

"I believe they were Mercian. We have received reports that Hengist has crossed the border," interjected Arthur from the side of the room.

"Hengist," said Uther, dropping Morgana's hands.

"You must send a rescue party," said Morgana, desperately.

"If Hengist is holding her, it would take a small army to rescue your maid."

"We can't abandon her."

"How many men would you have me sacrifice to save a servant?"

"As many as it takes."

Uther sighed and Morgana felt her anger rising.

"Gwen gave herself up so that I might escape," explained Morgana, pleadingly "I owe her my life."

"And she did so willingly. And she will be honoured for it," said Uther.

"I don't want her honoured, I want her rescued," yelled Morgana, furiously.

Everyone in the court turned to stare at her as she put her hand on Uther's arm.

"She is more than just my maid," began Morgana "She's my friend."

At this, Uther seemed to soften slightly.

"A servant is of no value to these bandits. I fear she's dead already."

"No, we cannot give up hope," said Morgana, snatching her hands from Uther as if his touch burnt her.

Morgana couldn't believe how selfish royals were.

"Arthur? I'm begging you. You have to do something."

"My father is right," replied Arthur "I'm afraid there's nothing we can do."

"How can you say that?" said Morgana, anger completely taking over "How can you live with yourselves? All of you."

Gaius went up to her but she swatted him away before stalking out of the council chambers, leaving everyone shocked at her outburst.

"How can you be so heartless?" asked an irate Morgana as she burst into Arthur's chambers "Gwen is the most kind, loyal person you could ever meet and she's been more than a friend to all of us. And you would leave her at the mercy of those animals."

"Morgana," Arthur said.

"Have you no shame? Do you think of no-one but yourself?" continued Morgana.

"Morgana!"

"I knew you were many things, Arthur Pendragon, but I didn't think you were a gutless coward."

"Morgana," said Arthur, turning to face her "Perhaps if you would stop shouting at me for one second, you would notice, that I am packing."

"You're going after Gwen," said Morgana, everything dawning on her now.

"Of course I'm going after her. What do you take me for?" he questioned as he stuffed his bag "I couldn't disagree with father in public."

Arthur turned and headed to the door, carrying his bag.

"Arthur, I'm coming with you," said Morgana.

"Morgana, don't be stupid. You are not coming," said Arthur.

"And why not?" asked Morgana.

"Look, you're a woman and you've already been captured by them. Father would never forgive me if I let you get taken again."

"Fine then," said Morgana.

Arthur grinned as he realised he had just made her back down from an argument. He had won one.

"Bring her home," she called after him.

"I will," he said, and then he left.

Morgana headed out of his chambers and locked the door behind her. She had no intention of staying in the castle. It was her friend who had been taken and she didn't trust Arthur to be able to find her before it was too late. She was going as well. Gwen had rescued her. Now, she was going to repay the kindness and self-sacrifice.

With that, she went into her own chambers and began to pack for herself.


	13. I'm Coming With You Part 2

A/N - It's been a while but here's the next chapter. We haven't been getting many reviews and we'd be really, really grateful if you took the time to just leave a one word comment or even a smiley face :D Hope you enjoy!

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><p><strong>I'm Coming With You<strong>

(Part Two)

Morgana rested the brown leather bag on her shoulder and pulled her darkest cloak over her blue dress; a forest green one. She sheathed her sword into the belt around her waist and added a dagger, slipping on up her sleeve and another into her shoe just in case she was captured again. Then she was ready.

Quiet as a mouse, she opened her door and looked down the corridor. It was deserted. She didn't even smile as she crept into the shadows and pressed her back into the wall and sliding along it as quickly as possible. Everything rested on her getting out of the castle unhindered or Uther would probably lock her up. He didn't understand friendship.

The path out of the castle was easy, the guards not focusing on the shadows and even when they did, Morgana was as still and as silent as one.

The cool night air hit her as she ventured out into the courtyard, and headed towards the stables. The black sky was illuminated by a half moon and allowed her to make the familiar journey without obstacle.

With nimble fingers she saddled her white horse and mounted, comforted by the feel of the reigns in her hands. She pressed her knees into the horse's flank that then trotted out of the stables with an elegant toss of her head, her mane silvery white in the moonlight. The guards were instantly alerted to her presence and her motive and Morgana spurred her horse on, forcing them out of the way unless they would like to be mowed down.

As soon as she was out of the gates, she pulled her hood down and undid her braid, relishing in the feeling of the icy wind tugging at her hair as she galloped through the silent forest, the pounding of her hooves the only sound.

After her hard pace, Morgana stopped and swung her leg over, landing expertly on solid ground once more, allowing her horse to graze as she searched for any tracks of someone passed recently.

Just when she was about to give up and ride on to where she had been captured with Gwen at first, she spotted barely visible hoof prints in the mud by the side of the road, definitely two sets. She smiled at her ability to discover them and promptly mounted her horse again, following the tracks left by Arthur and Merlin along the path.

Uther was in the process of writing a reply letter to Bayard when the warning bell begun to toll loud and clear. He discarded his quill, blotting the parchment with black ink before donning his blood red cloak and crown.

"You," he yelled at a passing guard "What's going on?

"Forgive me, sire, but I have not been informed. I just heard the…" the guard who was no more than a boy stuttered, nervously.

Uther didn't give him a chance to finish as he turned and headed to the council chambers, hoping that someone there would be able to tell him what was wrong. Someone better had or he'd punish every guard for lack of communication when the fate of the kingdom could potentially rest on him knowing as soon as the warning bell was sounded.

The doors to the council chambers were already open, guards blocking it with their swords as knights in the red and gold of Camelot swarmed inside.

"Sire," said the guards as they moved their swords and bowed.

Uther pushed through to his seat and shouted for attention. He was surprised to discover that his son wasn't amongst them and neither was Morgana, who always insisted that she had as much right to know what was happening that was the cause of such panic as the rest of the castle.

"What's going on?" he bellowed, furious that he, the king, was the last to know.

"My lord, the Lady Morgana rode out of Camelot. We tried to stop her but she wouldn't halt. We had no choice but to move out of her path," explained Sir Leon.

"Was she accompanied by anyone?" asked Uther, irate.

"No, sire," answered Sir Thom.

"Go and retrieve Arthur from his chambers," ordered the king "NOW!"

Sir Leon and three other knights hastily left to carry out his request, not wanting to get on the wrong side of him. They all knew well enough that Morgana was forever endangering herself on a whim and the king was getting increasingly incensed by it.

"My lord, we regret to report that Prince Arthur isn't in his chambers. There is no sign that his bed has been slept in," said a knight.

"Find him," roared Uther.

"No-one has seen him since earlier today, sire. We fear he may have been kidnapped."

Uther was silent for once as he paced, trying to bring his anger under control.

"He has not been kidnapped. He has gone after that wretched serving girl and so has my ward," concluded Uther.

"My lord…"

"I want every knight searching for them; leave only the bare minimum here. I want them found and brought to me. Morgana has gone too far this time," declared Uther "Leave me!"

With murmurs of sire and my lord, the knights dispersed until only the king remained. He poured himself a goblet of wine and downed it in one before re-filling and doing the same. Why on earth would his son and ward go after a mere maid knowing what they were going into? Arthur he could marginally understand. His son was too soft, risking his life for a worthless girl. But Morgana… She had just escaped capture from Hengist and now she was heading right back into their arms again. She thought she was invincible just because she had beaten Arthur in a sword fight. She was going to get herself killed. Blind with rage, Uther swore that he would make sure both of them got the message loud and clear. He would not have them acting on impulse. He was the king and he would not be taken for a fool.

Morgana had followed the tracks in more or less a straight line, passing the site where her group had been ambushed and captured. The knights had been removed; taken to be buried accordingly but there was still the stench of death in the air and pools of blood on the forest floor. She shivered, suddenly cold. It wasn't death that scared her; it was the fact that everyone had died for her, regardless of whether they were protecting her or trying to capture her.

Shrugging it off and pulling her cloak tighter to shield her body from the bitter cold wind, she continued to follow the clear tracks, knowing very well that Uther would have sent the entire castle guard after her. It was a stupid thing to do since it left the kingdom undefended, but that wasn't her main concern. If she was brought back there would be hell to pay. She would gladly endure the king's wrath, but only after Gwen was safe. She couldn't trust Arthur or Merlin to rescue her. She had to do it on her own.

An hour of various gaits later, the tracks abruptly came to an end. Morgana jumped off the horse, confused and searched the area for any hoof prints or footprints, any indication. Everything was perfectly still apart from the normal signs of nature. She was confused and slightly worried at the immediate end. It wasn't even gradual. It was as if they had just vanished off the face of the earth with no trace whatsoever.

Suddenly, Morgana heard someone approaching and spun around, hand resting on the hilt of her sword. A middle-aged woman with long red hair appeared in front of her and struck her with her own sword. Morgana only just managed to deflect it and launched her own attack, suddenly fearing the worst. The next moment a dirty cloth was held over her mouth from behind and she desperately held her breath drawing the dagger from her belt and stabbing the assailant in the abdomen. She turned around in time to see a man fall, blood pooling from him. The content on the gag made her dizzy and as she was removing her dagger, she felt an overwhelming pain in her head as blood started to trickle down her forehead, clumping her dark hair together. She hit the ground and the world blacked out.


	14. I'm Coming With You Part 3

A/N - We're sorry for the wait but here's the next installment. Reviews seriously motivate us and we haven't been getting many but thanks to everyone who has. Please keep them coming if you'd like faster updates. Also, we're open to suggestions for ideas for future chapters because we haven't really got many. Enjoy! (And please review :D)**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>I'm Coming With You<strong>

(Part Three)

"Morgana! Morgana! Wake up!" said Gwen, shaking her.

"No. No. Gwen, let me sleep a bit longer," replied Morgana in a voice heavy with sleep.

"Come on, my lady, you have to wake up!"

"Fine, fine, I'm awake!"

As soon as she observed her surroundings, the sleepy confusion vanished and she hugged her maid tightly.

"Gwen! I'm so glad to see you!" she said, ecstatic to see her friend safe and sound "Oh, and there's Arthur and Merlin, alive and kicking but very much captured."

"Yes, but you'll soon be very dead," said Arthur in a dangerous tone "Because if whoever has kidnapped us is not going to kill us, I'll kill you myself!"

"And why would you do such a thing?" asked Morgana with a small smile.

"You dare to ask! You followed us out here, putting yourself in perilous danger not to mention the fact that I specifically told you I would take care of the situation."

"Oh, yes, this is really taking care of it, isn't it? You've only gotten yourself in the same predicament as Gwen," drawled Morgana.

"My father is going to be furious with you, you know that," continued Arthur in a huff.

"Since when has that ever stopped me before," smirked Morgana.

"You shouldn't be here. This is no place for a lady."

"Ah! So that's your problem. You're afraid I'll end up with the glory of saving Gwen's life because everyone knows I'm better than you."

"WHAT? You've ended up captured as well!"

"You are to blame for that, Arthur. You should have taken me with you and then we could have fought them together and avoided this. But, oh no, you always think you're superior to everyone else."

"Ok, then, big hero. Why don't you enlighten us to your brilliant escape plan!" said Arthur, his face crimson with anger.

"Well, since I don't know who the hell is keeping us here, I don't have one yet. But I'll soon figure something out, clotpole," retorted Morgana.

"I'll look forward to watching you try and fail miserably since everyone knows that it will be I who shall get us out of here!"

Morgana leapt up and moved to strike him, but Merlin stepped in front of her.

"Stop arguing, you two," he said "This isn't the time or the place."

"Merlin is right," added Gwen "We need to cooperate if we have any chance to be free."

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><p>There had been silence ever since Morgana and Arthur's argument except for Gwen and Merlin's idle chat. Both were determined not to give in first and had resorted to simply staring at the wall for Arthur and pacing the length of the cell for Morgana. No-one dared tell them to stop it.<p>

The silence was interrupted by the rattle of the door as a troop of guards entered the cell. One of them sneered at Morgana, who was still standing and gripped her by her wrist. She began to struggle and eventually managed to get free, before two more intercepted her and tied her hands tightly behind her back.

Arthur was putting up more or less the same fight, leaving a stream of blood flowing from one of the guards' noses before he was successfully bound and was held by another length of rope attached to his wrists.

"I demand that you release us immediately," said Morgana with an air of superiority and authority.

"King Cenred would have our heads, girly," muttered one of the guards, earning him a sharp kick from another.

"I am Morgana Le Fey, daughter of Gorlois. _I _will have all your heads should you not release us all immediately. You can tell _that_ to Cenred."

"Oh, shut up," said the guard.

Arthur ceased his struggling and smirked at her. She narrowed her eyes at him and mouthed a very unladylike word at him.

"Fine then, let them go. Then, I'll perhaps only have your king's head."

"I said shut up!"

"You can't tell me to…"

The guard gave a sharp tug on the rope causing her to stumble backwards a few steps before she was pushed up the stairs, Gwen and Merlin in front of her.

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><p>The throne room was freezing and the stone floor was even colder as they were pushed to their knees in front of the throne. The herald stated Cenred's name and the king entered through a side door and sat on his throne with a smug look of arrogance plastered on his way.<p>

"Ah, Guinevere, my precious guest; how have you faired?" he asked, slowly rising and moving to stand in front of her.

When she didn't answer, he gave a callous laugh and walked along the line "But here are your friends, too!"

"Let them go, Cenred," said Arthur.

"Well, well, Arthur Pendragon. How kind of you to pay me a visit. It seems my men weren't lying when they said that the mighty and noble Prince of Camelot would come here just to save a filthy servant, even if she was not my original target," continued Cenred, ignoring Arthur's order.

"Don't talk about her like that," intervened Merlin as Gwen kept her eyes firmly on the floor.

"Aw, how sweet," said the king before punching Merlin hard in the jaw "Are you defending your FILTHY little girlfriend here?"

With this, he gripped Gwen's chin and forced her to look up.

"Get your dirty hands off her!" shouted Morgana in her friend's defence.

Cenred's attention immediately disappeared from Merlin and Gwen, and he turned to look at her with a sickening smile on his face.

"The Lady Morgana no less; the rumours of your beauty do not do you justice. It seems that you have walked right into my hands. Did you fear that your maid would get all of my attention instead of you?"

"You sick…" retorted Morgana.

"There's no need for you to be stuck in my dungeon, my dear; not a beauty like you. Why don't you and I indulge in some more pleasant activities?"

"Go to hell, you bastard!" she said with a quiet coldness.

Cenred was outraged by her audacity and delivered a hard backhand. Her face cracked to the side with the force and she was momentarily stunned before she turned to face him again, staring at him with a steely gaze as blood trickled down her milky white skin where his ring had painfully dug in.

"Leave her alone!" shouted Arthur, lunging for her attacker as guards hurried to restrain him again.

"Or what, Pendragon?" replied the king "What will you do?"

"She's done nothing wrong."

"Nothing wrong! She's Uther Pendragon's ward!"

"She's innocent!"

"But for how long, Arthur," said Cenred, suggestively.

Morgana looked over at her foster brother and saw that he practically had steam coming from his ears. She glared at Cenred's back, wishing that she had a dagger with her so that she could impale him then and there. Her cheek stung but she clenched her teeth to mask the pain. Gwen had her eyes downcast again but Merlin was looking straight at her and offering her a sympathetic smile. _I'm fine_, she mouthed at him but he looked disbelieving.

"Let them all go, Cenred, and I'll give you what you want," said Morgana, almost gagging at her words, trying to think up more of her rash plan.

"Morgana, shut the hell up, you idiot," protested Arthur.

"Ah, such a sacrifice, my dear. Are you sure?" questioned Cenred, leering at her.

"Quite," she replied, shortly.

"No, Morgana," whispered Gwen, finding the courage to look up and raising her voice "No!"

"But alas, I do not need to make deals with my captives. Uther Pendragon will either pay your ransom or you will be mine, understand," said Cenred.

"You may be a king but you're a coward and a fool. Don't think you can threaten me, Cenred. You won't so much as breathe on me," continued Morgana, fiercely.

"Morgana…" Arthur trailed off, giving her a look telling her to shut her mouth before she got into something she couldn't get out of.

"Guard!" snapped Cenred, clearly angry but smart enough not to harm her for fear of earning Uther's wrath "Take them back to the dungeons and restrain them. These two in particular are far too fierce for their own good."

* * *

><p>"Great, Morgana! Was this your great plan – get us chained up?" asked Arthur as he pulled at his manacles.<p>

"Oh, shut up, Arthur. I wasn't going to sit there and let him act like he bloody owns the place," retorted Morgana, rattling her chains as she moved them.

"He's the king. This is his castle."

"Like I care. He was acting like I was some whore. And anyway, you looked ready to strangle him."

"Only because you made him so angry that he struck you!"

"I have that effect on men you see…"

"How are we going to get out of here now?" interrupted Gwen with worry, trying to prevent another round of bickering.

"There's no need to worry, Guinevere, I have got a plan," said Arthur "I just need Merlin to get the attention of the guard out there and then I'll knock him out. I'm positive there's only one."

"Why me?" asked Merlin.

"Because you are incredibly annoying, _Mer_lin."

"And you're not!" muttered Merlin, quietly.

Morgana smirked and even Gwen tittered before composing herself.

"And how will you fight this guard, Arthur – with your ego?" questioned Morgana.

"Haha, Morgana! You're so amazingly funny. I'll find a way. Unless of course you've got a better plan!" he responded, sarcastically.

"I do, actually," she said before tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Morgana, what are you going to do?" asked Gwen, uneasily.

"Hey, big man, why don't you come here so we can have some fun," she called out loudly, in her most seducing tone, the tone she used on the knights if she wanted something.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" asked Arthur, clearly alarmed.

"Hush now," ordered Morgana as the guard's footsteps grew louder "And watch how a real hero works."

* * *

><p>The door was opened in a matter of minutes and the guard entered with a bored look on his face.<p>

"What do you want, woman?" he asked, gruffly.

"Come now, I think you can guess. While I'm stuck down here, we may as well have some fun. It is dreadfully boring down here and so very cold," replied Morgana in her seducing tone.

"You didn't seem too inclined with Cenred upstairs. So, why now? Why with me?"

"Because," she said as she pushed herself forward as much as her chains would allow "I've much better taste."

That was enough to make the guard set aside his distrust and totally forget about the audience. He grabbed her by her waist and used his free hand to start touching her everywhere, to the deep embarrassment of everyone else in the room. Before he could reach her breasts, she abruptly stopped him.

"Why don't you take these off me?" she said, tentatively, holding up her chained wrists.

"Do you really think I am so stupid as to set you free?" scoffed the guard before pushing her hard against the wall.

"Come now, handsome. Imagine if I had my hands free," she said before breathing quietly in her ear while caressing his lower abdomen, stopping just above his groin "If this is what one chained hand can do, imagine the possibilities if I'm free."

The guard was driven mad with desire for the fabled Lady Morgana and fumbled for the keys, foolishly releasing one of her wrists.

"Why thank you, big man. Now, enjoy your reward!"

With that, she swiftly kicked him in the groin and used her free hand to push him to the ground. As quick as she could with her non dominant hand, she used the key to unlock her other wrist just in time as the guard got to his feet groaning.

"You'll pay for that, you stupid bitch," he threatened.

"Big words for a big man," she said with a smirk before grabbing her iron manacles and bringing them down hard over his head.

His eyes rolled back into his head and he collapsed to the ground. Morgana wasted no time stepping over his body and unshackling Gwen and then Merlin and finally Arthur who looked incredibly impatient.

"Wow! That was really cool, Morgana," said Merlin, seeing the lady in a new light after her escape plan.

"Thanks, Merlin. I told you I would get us out of here, Arthur," she said with a wink.

"What did you say to that guard to make him release you?" he asked.

"You're not jealous, are you, Arthur? Maybe you want me to say, or _do_, the same things to you."

"MORGANA!" he said outraged, growing as red as a beet.

"Oh, for goodness sake be quiet before we get caught. We need to go now!


	15. I'm Coming With You Part 4

A/N - Here is the latest update from Morgana1992 and I. This concludes this part but the next 'section' will be up as soon as we can get it. We are both very busy! Please keep reviewing because it means a lot to us. Thanks for reading this far and we hope we haven't kept you for too long. Please enjoy! x

* * *

><p><strong>I'm Coming With You<strong>

(Part Four)

Arthur pushed past his foster sister, anger contorting his features. He reached down to the fallen guard and unsheathed his sword; swinging it several times to get the feel for it before he was satisfied that he would be able to fight with it.

"Ladies first, Arthur," Morgana reprimanded with a mocking shake of her head.

She clicked her teeth in annoyance at the prince before crouching down beside the guard. Carefully, she searched him from head to toe, ending her thorough search with one short sword and two daggers. She handed a dagger each to Merlin and Gwen, keeping a grip on the handle of the short sword she'd found.

"Can you even use that?" asked Arthur, a slightly patronising edge to his voice although it was well disguised.

"Of course," she replied with a smug smile.

"Liar! You've only ever trained with regular swords!"

"Did your father never tell you to learn to fight with numerous weapons in case your original weapon is removed from you?" drawled Morgana, feeling the balance of the sword "I expected more from the Prince and First Knight of Camelot."

Arthur went hot with anger, even more so when he heard a snicker from behind him. He spun around and his eyes fell on Merlin, he looked like he was choking as he tried to stifle his laughter. The prince swiped him over the head which earned a groan in response from Merlin.

"Arthur…" Morgana began, furiously.

"We need to leave," Gwen reminded them, impatiently, although she was too good-natured to display it openly "The amount of noise you two are making, I'm surprise the…"

Suddenly, the toll of a warning bell sounded loud and clear.

"Too late," said Morgana with a mischievous smile even though they were once again in terrible danger.

"What are you waiting for, my lady? Worried you're going to chip your nails?" mocked Arthur.

"Shut up, you prat," muttered Morgana.

"Come on!" protested Merlin.

* * *

><p>The coast was clear outside the dungeons and Arthur led the way into the corridor. Morgana and Merlin were still tittering but managed to compose themselves quickly enough when the sound of boots cracking against the stone echoed around them.<p>

Without needing to be prompted any further, they all dived into the last cell before the wall blocked the way. The two women curled up in the corner beside the door, the two men behind a haystack at the back of the cell.

Just as they'd hoped, none of the guards expected them to be hiding in a cell and after a quick search of their previous cell, they stomped upstairs again to continue their search and most likely send people after them.

After waiting a while longer in silence, just to be sure, Merlin stood up and moved over to the door, despite Arthur's protesting gestures. A glance to the left and then the right established that there were none of Cenred's men hanging around at present and Merlin nodded to the others.

"We best get going," said Morgana, standing up and stretching her legs from the cramped position they'd been in.

"Who put you in charge?" retorted Arthur.

"Shut up, Arthur," ordered Merlin, before disappearing out of the doorway before the prince could hit him again.

It didn't stop Arthur running after him until Gwen grabbed his wrist in a surprisingly tight grip and told him to stop being so immature. Once she realised what she'd said and to who, she clamped a hand over her mouth as she began to stutter apologies. Morgana only laughed in amusement, and took her maid's hand, pulling her gently to follow, leaving Arthur standing, mouth opening and closing like a goldfish's before he moved to follow the group.

* * *

><p>"In the end who was the hero?" asked Morgana through her laughter while they rode out of the castle, finally free.<p>

When they'd left their cell, they'd been confronted with a squad of guards whom Arthur and Morgana had taken care of swiftly (with a little help from Merlin as he secretly uttered his spells from his hiding spot behind a barrel). The rest of the way had been simple as they found a back exit to the dungeons and managed to steal horses for the four of them. Cenred underestimated them and turned his troops to search his castle and courtyard instead of the side gates. It had been the perfect opportunity.

"Shut up, Morgana!" snapped Arthur, irritably "Your brilliant plan could have gotten you killed – or worse."

"But I didn't," responded Morgana in a sing-song voice.

"Nah! I think she was great! At least she came up with a plan, dollophead," said Merlin with a grin.

"No-one asked for you opinion, _Mer_lin!" growled Arthur.

"Aw, are you jealous that I'm better than you," quipped Morgana "I tell you what. Why don't I give you a chance to heal your damaged pride? Race you!"

The horses' hooves kicked up a cloud of faint dust as the two royal children rode off into the forest at top speed, determined to be the victor.

"Be careful!" Gwen shouted after them "We're not out of danger, yet!"

But Morgana and Arthur were long gone and they were being far too loud.

"We better hurry, Gwen. The rate they're going at, they'll be back in Camelot before we've even started," joked Merlin.

"Come on, then," agreed Gwen, smiling in his direction.

Both of them dug their knees into their horses' sides and galloped off after their companions, the foreign horses whickering in excitement at the adventure.

* * *

><p>After riding hard and fast, Merlin and Gwen caught up with the foster siblings who had stopped to rest their exhausted horses beside a small stream. Both were bickering about who'd won the race, loudly.<p>

"Don't do that again," grumbled Merlin, quietly.

"Excuse me?" questioned Arthur, still in a rage.

"Nothing."

"I should hope not, _Mer_lin!"

Gwen rolled her eyes at the prince's childishness and Morgana smiled fondly at her maid. She was so mature. Still, someone had to keep her out of trouble. Or at least try to.

"We're nearly at the border," said Arthur once they'd been riding for around half an hour once again.

It was from their vantage on top of the rocky mound that they saw the red capes of a Camelot patrol riding toward them.

"They're a little too late, it seems," snorted Morgana.

"I'm sure they have done all they could," intervened Gwen, quickly.

"Exactly, Gwen. That's what worries me. They are all completely bloody useless!"

"Don't you dare speak about my knight like that, ever again," said Arthur, glaring at her "You're only a woman."

"Oh, please, Arthur. Is that the best you can do?" mocked Morgana as she tossed her braid over her shoulder.

* * *

><p>"Sire, my lady, are you ok? Are you hurt?" asked one of the frantic knights, approaching them.<p>

"Everything is fine, Sir Leon. We are all just tired," responded Arthur.

"No thanks to you," muttered Morgana under her breath but stopped with a look from Gwen.

"It's a great relief to hear that, my lord, but I'm afraid that the king is furious at both of you. He has instructed that you are escorted to the throne room as soon as we enter Camelot safely."

"Is he really mad at us?" questioned Arthur.

"Mad is a euphemism, sire!"

"Great! Typical of Uther to get angry over the wrong things!" commented Morgana.

Sir Leon chose to ignore the disrespect of the king and instead turned and began to ride back to Camelot. The four companions trotted after them; weary from their escape.

"I'm so sorry, my lady," apologized Gwen, looking guilty.

"Whatever for, Gwen?" asked Morgana, shocked.

"You and Prince Arthur are going to get in trouble because of me! You should never have come to rescue me!"

"Oh, Gwen, don't be foolish. It's not your fault but that animal Cenred's! You've always been a good and loyal friend to me; more than a maid needs to be," responded Morgana "I can deal with a slap on the wrist from Uther but if something bad happened to you I would never be able to forgive myself. I will always do my best to protect you!"

"Thank you, my lady," said Gwen with a bright smile, almost crying from the devotion of her mistress and friend.

Morgana stuck her tongue out at Arthur and Merlin who were making gagging gestures at her statement.

* * *

><p>Sir Leon had spoken the truth. But the lengths Uther had went to in order to detain two people was quite frankly ridiculous. As they rode into the citadel just as the sun started to set, a further troop of guards enclosed them. And once they had dismounted, they were grabbed by the arms and escorted to the throne room, almost half the city's guards enclosing them. Morgana was exasperated.<p>

"I'm capable of finding my own way," she snapped.

The guards didn't acknowledge her; not one of them, which further infuriated her. Arthur turned his head to her, laughing silently. She glared daggers at him, cursing him. If it wasn't for the fact that she was currently restrained, she would surely have whacked him round the head without a second thought; prince or not.

At last, the guards opened the door to the throne room and formed a semi-circle around the two detainees. Uther turned around to face them, taking a long drink from his goblet before sitting in his throne.

"Leave us!" he commanded.

Morgana turned to look at Arthur, and wasn't in the least bit surprised to find that he looked sheepish for his actions. One thing he did not look was sorry, though, and she couldn't help but respect him – just a tiny little bit. He always worried about Uther's opinion of him was. Maybe he was finally growing a spine.

"So, here you are then. The disobedient children!" stated the king.

"We are no longer children," quipped Morgana.

"Yet, you act as foolish as one. It appears you have yet to grow up."

"You know nothing, Uther!"

"Silence!" demanded Uther "Arthur, you have neglected your duties as Crown Prince for a senseless quest. You are MY son and I will not allow your reckless behaviour to continue. You've humiliated us once before. I will not tolerate it. You are to be king one day. And you cannot go and rescue everybody who is going to die for you!"

"Yes, father," murmured Arthur, keeping his head down.

"And YOU, Morgana, put yourself at great risk by going on some pointless mission with absolutely no idea how to defend yourself. We cannot afford to pay the ridiculous ransom every time you decide to go on your escapades! And for what? What did this achieve?"

"I've not had proper defence training because you haven't bothered to arrange any lessons for me," retorted Morgana, equally as angry as the king.

"You're a lady!"

"My father didn't care about that!"

"Gorlois was…"

"My father was a good and honourable man. He taught me right from wrong. I did not go on some pointless rescue mission; I went to save my FRIEND! Do you expect me to leave her in the grasps of some bastard of a king?"

"Watch your language, child," warned Uther, seething with rage.

"Or what?" challenged Morgana.

"You'd do well to hold your tongue or I might just do something you'll end up regretting," threatened Uther "Both of you deliberately defied me! I expressly ordered you not to go after that wretched girl."

"She's not just my maid. She's my friend! I would do anything to protect her. I'd rather die trying to save her than sit back idly and doing my damn reading like everyone expects me to!"

"Your life is worth so much more than your maidservant's!"

"You may be this type of king but I won't be that type of person. You can't change that!"

"I'll have you put in irons, Morgana!" shouted Uther.

"THEN GO AHEAD! Punish me if you want! I don't care. You'll never change me!"

The throne room lapsed into silence, both Uther and Morgana glaring at each other with ice cold stares and red hot anger. Arthur stood to the side, forgotten about in their battle of wills, trying not to laugh. The whole situation was rather amusing when his days were normally filled with such boring tasks.

"Arthur, what you did was incredibly dangerous and stupid and IT WILL NOT happen again or there will be severe repercussions. However, you proved yourself to be worthy of the crown once more. For that, I praise you. Now go and do whatever it is you need to do," said Uther, rather tight-lipped.

Morgana was astounded by this. How could Arthur be praised when she'd done the majority of the escaping?

"If it wasn't for me, we'd still be locked in Cenred's bloody dungeon!" she yelled "That dollophead didn't have any idea of how we could escape. Just as well I was there, after all!"

Once more, the room faded to silence but there was a heavy cloud of tension hanging in the air. Unable to resist, Arthur decided to disobey his father once more and stay to listen to the inevitable argument that was sure to follow.

"You protect and serve only those you deem worthy, Uther Pendragon. If any peril was to befall you, I wouldn't care because I don't deem you worthy of my worry. You don't deserve for me to shed tears for you," said Morgana, heatedly after several long-drawn out minutes of deadly silence.

"HOW DARE YOU SPEAK TO ME LIKE THAT? I am your guardian and your KING! After all I've done for you…I've accepted you into my house, treated you as I would a daughter. You're the most powerful woman in the kingdom – all thanks to me. And this is how you would REPAY me!" retorted Uther, almost screaming.

"You only did all this because you felt guilty for my father's death and felt like you had to fulfil your promise to him. You're nothing but a selfish tyrant. YOU'RE WORSE THAN CENRED!"

"I've told you before I had no part in his death, Morgana," said Uther, dangerously quite "And promise or no promise, I could just ignore it and toss you out and let you fend for yourself, living amongst the peasants you seem to LOVE so much!"

"THEN SO BE IT!" cried Morgana in blind fury "I'd rather live the rest of my life as a servant than be under the same roof as you!"

With that, she turned on her heel and stormed off through the double doors, leaving the two men open-mouthed in her wake. By the time they had fully registered her words, Morgana was long gone.

* * *

><p>In the safety of her chambers, Morgana collapsed on the bed. She felt a tear make a track down her cheek, wiping away the grime before she rubbed it away in anger. She would not shed tears for Uther. He was not worth it. But the injustice of it hurt. Why couldn't he just accept her for who she was and stop trying to change her? Was it so hard for him to praise her once in a while, especially after saving all of their lives? But no, this was Uther, and he would never change his mind.<p>

Morgana bolted upright and flung herself towards her armoire. She flung the doors open and pulled out her most simple dress; a dark blue cotton one which was slightly too small for her since she had only been fifteen when she had received it. It stopped mid-calf but she tugged it down as best she could. It would not matter soon, anyway. She pulled on some black breeches under it, shoving two white tunics into a bag along with a thin forest green cloak. Her boots would have to do for footwear.

Morgana decided that she was leaving Camelot and Uther and all his dictation. She was going home and she was never coming back.


	16. A Fire Ignited Part 1

**A Fire Ignited**

(Part One)

"You requested my presence, father," said Arthur as he entered the royal chambers.

"Morgana has gone missing," stated Uther.

"Are you sure she hasn't left of her own accord?" asked Arthur.

"That's exactly what I think," replied the king.

"And you want me to bring her back?"

"Yes, Arthur. She's gone too far this time."

"This is Morgana, father. She is unlikely to agree to come back."

"This is a warrant for her arrest. I don't care what it takes; she will be brought back here!"

Arthur tried to prevent a smug smile creeping onto his face and instead masked it with clearing his throat.

"May I enquire as to what you plan to do?"

"If you wish although it makes no difference. Morgana has disobeyed me once too often. I have provided the best standard of living possible but until she learns to respect me under my roof, she is to become a servant. We shall see how long she lasts when nothing is handed to her on a plate!"

Arthur nearly choked in surprise. Morgana – a servant. This would be fun. He quickly straightened himself when Uther gave him a death glare.

"If you find it so amusing, Arthur, I can easily demote you to servitude until you learn how to behave!"

"Sorry, father."

"Now go and retrieve her. I want you both back by nightfall tomorrow!"

As Arthur turned to leave and prepare for his mission, Uther grabbed his arm and handed him a scroll sealed with the Pendragon emblem. The arrest warrant.

"Thank you, father," he finished before bowing his head and exiting the chambers.

* * *

><p>Morgana snapped her eyes open as she heard a loud rustling. She sat up from her makeshift bed and looked around. The darkness of the cave slowly gave way and she was able to reassure herself that there was no immediate danger within like a predator. These forests were famous for the wolves that inhabited them, after all.<p>

A cracking twig told her that it was another person that was approaching the cave and not an animal. She reached for the dagger she'd carried since she'd been unable to get a sword in her spur of the moment decision. It was a stupid decision and she'd be the first to admit it, but she did not regret it. If only she'd planned more, got warmer clothes, a sword, some food… It was still over a week travelling on foot to Cornwall.

Her dagger flew from her hand as she released it and there was a quickly disguised gasp from the mouth of the cave. Then, Arthur emerged from the bushes surrounding the entrance.

"Arthur!" she exclaimed, furious, trying to act like she hadn't been terrified of intruders with nothing to defend herself with.

"Ah, found you, Morgana," he said with a smirk.

"My dagger found you first," retorted Morgana, quickly.

Infuriated that he'd followed her, she grabbed her bag and cloak from the cave floor and stalked out into the crisp morning air. She shivered and wrapped the cloak around herself, the fur lining warming her rapidly.

"Have you taken up witchcraft, Morgana? Only you do look a bit like one what with your little dark cave," joked Arthur.

"Shut up, prince prat," responded Morgana, refusing to face him.

"I'll shut up once you get back to Camelot," he quipped.

"I'm never going back there!"

"Yes, you are!"

"I'm going home!"

"Camelot is your home."

"It is not! Cornwall is and always will be my home!"

Arthur reached inside his billowing cloak and handed her the scroll. She snatched it from his grasp and broke the seal. As soon as she noticed Uther Pendragon's signature, she ripped the parchment in half and then in half again and again until the pieces of paper drifted to the ground like snowflakes.

"That was a royal warrant, Morgana!" said Arthur with a taunting grin.

"Do I look like I care about commands, royal or not. I'm not going back to you or your bloody father!" said Morgana, fiercely.

"That's treason, Morgana!" Arthur pointed out.

"Is it treason to murder a prince?" asked Morgana, only half in jest.

"You WILL come back, willing or not!" stated Arthur.

"Watch me!"

"If you do not come of your own accord, that warrant gives me permission to use whatever means necessary to take you back to the king," continued Arthur, thoroughly enjoying herself.

"What warrant?" questioned Morgana, cocking her head to the side as she indicated the sprinkling of white on the grass.

While Arthur was distracted, she dropped her bag and turned on her heel, tearing through the dense trees, startling the wildlife that was beginning to awake. She almost fell multiple times but thankfully the momentum saved her.

Suddenly, she caught her foot on a damned tree stump and landed heavily on her hip. With a groan at her unfortunate luck, she stumbled to her feet and made to limp away again before she heard the ring of steel and felt a sharp blade lay against the bottom of her back. Instincts made her panic at this before her brain caught up a second later and realised it was Arthur. She was guided forward with the threat of the sword until she was face to face with a particularly thick tree trunk with nowhere to go, backwards or forwards.

"Do you plan on marching me back to Camelot at sword point?" wisecracked Morgana.

"You've gotten rusty in your old age, Morgana," teased Arthur.

"Go away, Arthur Pendragon, before you regret it!" threatened Morgana.

"You say that with my sword at your back!"

"Fine, stop me leaving then!"

Arthur simply pressed the point of his sword slightly deeper into her back, enough to make her feel the threat if she moved.

"If you want to get me back to Camelot then it will be my dead body!"

With that, she kicked her foot backwards, catching Arthur sharply in the shin. She promptly made a run for it. However, she forgot her injured ankle and cursed as she felt Arthur's hand encircle her wrist.

"Good try, Morgana, but not good enough," he mocked her.

Then, she half-walked and was half-dragged back to the horse tethered to one of the trees with many protests and threats.

"Get on the horse," ordered Arthur.

"No!" she refused, defiantly, digging her heels into the soft ground.

Arthur released his hold with one hand momentarily, reaching into the saddle bag to produce a coil of thick rope.

"This is your last chance, Morgana," he said with a beaming smile of triumph.

"Or what?" she challenge, her anger increasing.

"I will have to resort to tying you up like I would any other person wanted by the king."

"You just try, Pendragon. Don't think that being the prince will help you!"

Arthur tightened the grip on her wrist, not enough to severely hurt her but enough to be able to pull her in front of him with little she could do about it without hurting herself. Not that she would be able to do much with her damaged ankle, anyway.

As he wound the length of rope around her wrists once, Morgana realised that he was in fact serious and promptly kicked out at him again with her strong leg. He took the opportunity and swept her strong leg out from under her. With her dodgy ankle, she was unable to support her full weight and collapsed. Before she could fall, Arthur caught her and lowered her as gently as possible onto her bottom. He couldn't have her returned to his father too injured or he would probably get the blame for it.

Taking full advantage of her position, he made deft work of wrapping the rope around her wrists multiple times and tying it off, leaving a long length for him to hold on to. She couldn't do anything about it before her hands were effectively bound.

"You are always so difficult Morgana," he said.

"LET ME GO!" she screamed in fury.

"Now, now, calm yourself," he mocked her again, tugging her sharply to her feet to more screams and threats and failed attempts at maiming him.

* * *

><p>Morgana tried to keep the limp out of her walk but it was proving more difficult than she expected. She was sure her face was contorted with the concentration used to walk normally. But Arthur was facing the direction of Camelot so he couldn't see, so it didn't really matter.<p>

Angry as hell, she tried to wrench her wrists free but they were tied together tightly and the coarse rope chased her delicate skin the more she moved them. When she pulled, the other end remained firmly attached to the horn of Arthur's saddle.

"Would you like to come up here with me? There's plenty of space," offered Arthur.

"Go to hell," she spat.

"It doesn't have to be like this. I'm willing to make a deal with you."

"I'm not making any deal with YOU!"

"You do know that my father is furious with you," said Arthur, stopping the horse and facing her.

"Oh please, Arthur, the dungeons are my second home," smirked Morgana.

Arthur gave her a mysterious smile which frustrated her to no end. If she had not been bound she would surely have slapped Arthur and that would have been an end to that!

"If you recognize me as your superior, then I will persuade my father to punish me instead. I will tell him that you were responsible for some of the rescue and I provoked you into leaving," suggested Arthur.

"I would rather stick pins in my eyes than bow to you," she retorted, sharply.

"Suit yourself," he said with a laugh before he started moving again.

* * *

><p>Guessing by the position of the sun, Morgana guessed she'd been walking for over an hour. Her ankle throbbed and she had given up trying to hide the limp. It had made it considerably easier. Each time Arthur looked behind to check on her, she give him her sweetest smile. There was no way she would give him the satisfaction of complaining. And her pride wouldn't allow her to ask for a ride; not now, not after him forcing her to go back to the damned kingdom.<p>

"I demand a drink," said Morgana, loudly.

"And you shall have one back in Camelot," replied Arthur.

"No, I will have one now. Or I will not go any further."

"Morgana, in case you have forgotten, you don't really have a choice in the matter." He shook the rope in indication.

"Unless you plan to drag me the rest of the way then we are!" said Morgana.

With that, she spun under her ropes, gave a sharp tug and sat down on the grass beside the road, refusing to move. She was nobody's prisoner – EVER! When Arthur grumbled and halted his horse, she allowed herself to smile in satisfaction. She could always beat Arthur. Her smile broadened even more as he handed her a water skin. After manoeuvring it with her bound hands, she finished the lot and then dropped it to the ground beside her.

"Are you happy now?" asked Arthur, impatiently.

"No!" stated Morgana, beginning to enjoy the hold she had over her foster brother, even in her position "Unbind me!"

"Do you take me for a fool?" retorted Arthur.

"As a matter of fact, yes, I do, considering you think you can control me. But, I am willing to return to Camelot so long as you cut these wretched ropes."

"Why should I trust you?"

"You shouldn't, Arthur, but you do not have a choice."

"I gave you a chance, suffer the consequences!"

"Very well…" said Morgana, as she lay down on her back, looking up at the fluffy white clouds in the sky, sighing contentedly. It felt good to rest her feet, particularly her ankle.

"Get up!" demanded Arthur.

"Unbind me first, then!" responded the raven-haired woman, equally as authoritative.

"It is only a three hour journey back to Camelot. As soon as we are there, I shall release your bonds."

"You don't seem to understand me correctly. I am not going one step further until my wrists are free!"

"No…"

"Look, if it makes you feel better, I promise not to run. I shall have it out with the high and mighty Uther Pendragon," compromised Morgana "But I will not be paraded about like your prisoner."

Arthur seemed to consider it before nodding slowly, a grin appearing on his face.

"Bow to me, first," he ordered.

"Are you that insecure?" drawled Morgana as she pushed herself up, hands on the ground beside her.

With a yell of frustration, Arthur drew his dagger and started to saw through the ropes as Morgana laughed in amusement. Her wrists were soon free, and she rubbed the faint red marks in annoyance.

"Now get on the damn horse before I throw you over the back of it," grumbled Arthur.

"As you command, my lord. After all, I am but your humble subject, not worthy of refusing the law of the crown prince," taunted Morgana.

Nevertheless, she put one foot in the stirrup and swung herself up and over the horse's back, taking the reins.

"Let me on," commanded Arthur.

"There is plenty of space behind me, Arthur," said Morgana with a smile.

"But…"

"Hush now, I thought you wanted to get back to Camelot and father dearest before you get in trouble. I am a much better rider than you."

Arthur was lost for words at her sudden change but found himself complying as he mounted behind her. Almost as soon as his bottom touched the saddle, Morgana dug her knees into the horse's flank and they were riding at break-neck speed towards the castle.

"Slow down, Morgana, before we break our necks," said Arthur with a face full of wind.

"You're not afraid now, are you?"

"No," he replied, indignantly "I just wouldn't want you to fall and get hurt. My father would never forgive me."

"Oh shut up, Arthur. I want a word with your father. Who does he think he is ordering my arrest? I am not some common criminal!"

"The king," quipped Arthur, earning him a sharp kick from in front.

The castle gates loomed in front of them. Morgana prepared herself. This was going to be one hell of an argument and that was saying something considering her and Uther's reputation.

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><p><span>AN **-** We hope you enjoyed this chapter! It is the product of insomnia XD Thank you for the sweet reviews; please keep them coming!

- Rachel and Veronica xxx


	17. A Fire Ignited Part 2

**A Fire Ignited**

(Part Two)

As soon as they entered the council chambers, Uther alone was already waiting for them, sitting on his throne as he sipped from a gold chalice.

"Arthur! I'm glad that you've been able to bring HER back without too much trouble"

"It was easy, father. After all, she is just girl!"

_What did he just say,_ thought Morgana angrily, but she didn't dare to say it aloud because she was already in enough trouble. She would make the king of the prats pay later.

"Where did you find her? Where was she headed?"

"I found Morgana in a cave and she was…"

"Hello?" interrupted Morgana "Do not speak as if I were not here! You could just talk to me, Uther! I'm right in front of you!"

The king turned towards her in a fury.

"I'll speak to you when I desire to do so, is that understood?"

"Well, it seems to me that you're talking with me now!"

Uther rushed towards Morgana, stopping just a few inches from her face. She was scared by his sudden advancement but Morgana was not the type to show weakness in front of anyone; least of all him.

"Don't play bold with me, Morgana! You should be grateful that I'm not accusing you of treason!"

"TREASON? HOW COULD IT BE TREASON THAT I WANTED TO GO BACK TO CORNWALL? TO MY OWN HOME?"

"CAMELOT IS YOUR HOME NOW! You best get used to it and start to show me some respect!"

"Or what? You'll lock me in the dungeons forever? I feel more at home there than I do with you, anyway!"

"Push me a little more and I might just do it!" he threatened, seizing her roughly by the shoulders.

Fear flashed across Morgana's face and it was all she could do not to stumble backwards. At this, Uther released her and took a few steps backwards.

"Meanwhile, I found a more suitable punishment. It is time that you learn to give more respect to the people who deserve it, and what better way…" he began in a cold and calm voice.

"That's the problem, you DON'T DESERVE ANYONE'S RESPECT!" intervened Morgana but Uther continued to speak without giving signs of having heard her.

"…to learn it than spending some time with those who are less worthy of reverence yet you seem to love so much?"

Confronted with a blank stare from Morgana, he clarified "You'll be a SERVANT, Morgana! Until you have learned your lesson!"

While Arthur covered his mouth to stifle the quiet laughter at his nemesis's misfortune with his sleeve, Morgana vented all of her anger on Uther.

"What? You can't do this! You've no right to tell me how I should behave! I am not a PUPPET that you can use to your liking just because you took me in! I never asked to be brought here to live under the roof of a vile bastard!"

She moved a few steps forward and raised her arm as if to strike him, but Uther, with his training, was faster and grabbed her wrist in a vice grip.

"I'm your KING and your GUARDIAN! I am the one who gave you the chance to live in comfort and luxury. I've given you seamlessly the priveleges which you enjoy and I can just as easily take them away again," he hissed in her ear, getting progressively louder "If it pleases me I could make you spend the rest of your days in a convent or in my darkest dungeon with nothing but the rats for company! So do not ever try to tell me what I CAN OR CANNOT DO WITH YOU! Have I made myself clear?"

Morgana was shocked into speechlessness and failed to reply.

"I said, HAVE I MADE MYSELF CLEAR?" roared Uther, shaking her.

"Yes, my lord," she responded, weakly.

"Good!" responded the king before feeling slightly guilty for his abrupt outburst and releasing her wrist and returning to his throne "You are to stay with your maid, Genevieve. I have warned the other servants that you are to join them. Go and find more suitable clothing and in the kitchen someone will give you your tasks!"

"As you wish, Your Grace," said Morgana, not bothering to correct him on Gwen's name before bowing and turning on her heel.

The room fell into an unnatural silence and Morgana stopped before the doors, fighting to recover her strong attitude. There was no way she would let herself be ridiculed without giving something in return. That was when an idea struck her.

"Um, Your Grace?" she forced a humble expression as she turned back to face Uther. She knew she better behave with some respect at least for her own good.

"Yes, Morgana? Do you have something you wish to say?" responded Uther, incredibly please with the sudden change in his ward.

"I was just wondering, Your Grace, if my duties as a servant include warming up Prince Arthur's bed, like other maid have done in the past?" she asked with every measure of respect, feigning an innocent look.

The reaction that followed was better than she could ever have hoped for. Arthur's face turned as red as a pepper although whether in anger or embarrassment, it was impossible to tell and Uther's face paled for a second.

"MORGANA!" said Arthur through clenched teeth. "How dare you make such preposterous assumptions over me?"

Uther, seeing that Morgana barely restrained her laughter, realised that it was just an attempt to provoke Arthur without any serious intentions and so he calmed down.

"Come on, Arthur, I would be more worried if she didn't make such assumptions over a young man like you," said Uther with a chuckle "Anyway, Morgana, how do you know of these 'activities' in the first place?"

Now it was her turn to blush while a wide grin spread across his arrogant face.

"Yes, Morgana, why don't you explain to my father how a fine lady like you can come to know these things? Or maybe you would prefer to tell him how you seduced that guard in Cenred's castle?"

"Well, first of all, it's none of your business, and second, I shouldn't have had to do anything there if only you knew how to do your job as the prince!" retorted Morgana, sharply.

"I'd have coped well if you had not intervened!"

"If I had not intervened to save your royal arse then we'd still be in the hands of that bastard right now, or maybe we'd be dead. Not that I'd have many complains on that…"

"ENOUGH!" bellowed Uther "SHUT UP THE PAIR OF YOU!"

A tense silence fell as Morgana remembered just how thin the ice she was walking on was.

"Morgana, I believe I've given you orders. You would do well to follow them or do you need another lesson?" said Uther "And Arthur, I'm sure you've got better things to do that argue with her, like training with the knights. I know we have some new boys…"

"Yes, sire," they chorused, bowing their head slightly.

"Good! Now go!"

As soon as they were out of the council chambers, Arthur approached Morgana.

"This time you'll pay dearly. I will make sure that this is the worst time of your life!" he threatened before stalking off to the training ground.

"Well, my dear prince, this is a game we can both play!" she whispered with an evil grin before hurrying to her chambers.

How hard could it be to carry out her sentence without complaint…?

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><p><span>AN - This was quite a short chapter but we think it is more effective this way. Thank you for the reviews! Please keep them coming if you can spare a minute of your time XD

P.S - If anyone has any ideas for future chapters then please let us know in a review or PM because we're not too sure...


	18. A Fire Ignited Part 3

A/N - Thank you for all the reviews. Veronica and I are so sorry for the delay but we hope this makes up for it. Please keep the reviews coming and enjoy XD

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><p>Morgana tumbled from the bed and landed with a bump on the hard floor. She jolted awake in shock as the unfamiliar surroundings came into focus.<p>

"Morgana, are you ok?" asked Gwen, rushing over, abandoning the sweeping brush.

"I'm fine," she replied with a groan, picking herself up off the floor.

The truth was, she was not fine at all. Her back ached from the uncomfortable mattress and she was chilled to the bone from the threadbare cover. But Gwen had practically insisted on her sleeping in the bed, despite her protests. She had felt terrible as her friend had settled down on the sacks but had accepted her words that she would need some proper rest.

"Would you like breakfast, my lady?"

"I'm not a lady anymore, Gwen. I suppose I should get used to doing everything for others now."

Morgana's mood was stormy and if someone said the wrong thing, or she crossed paths with Arthur, then she was going to flip. Picking herself up from the floor, she moved over to the kitchen area where Gwen was preparing watery oatmeal. It definitely did not look very appetising. _Stop it;_ she berated herself, _stop being so childish_. And, pushing the negativity out of her mind, she concentrated her efforts on actually being able to cook the damned thing.

"Morgana," said Gwen, appearing behind her with no sound at all.

"One minute…" responded Morgana, taking the wooden spoon and proceeding to stir it.

"You will only be fetching and carrying. And probably attending one of the ladies. I'm sure you won't be expected to cook, too," continued Gwen with a fond smile, removing the utensil from her hand and ushering her over to the screen "The king had one of the guards drop off your outfit."

"What would I do without you, Gwen," finished Morgana with a laugh as she left the cookery to the much more experienced of them.

* * *

><p>"I'm going to kill him!" shouted Morgana, angrily.<p>

In a flurry of yellow, she appeared from behind the screen, a scowl on her face. Gwen disguised her laughter as a sudden coughing fit when Morgana shot her a furious look. The dress Uther had sent was a plain white shift with a sunshine yellow overdress and tasteless brown shoes – definitely not Morgana's style.

"It doesn't look too bad, _honest_," Gwen said, helpfully, still stifling her remaining giggles at the unusual sight.

"Uther can shove this stupid bloody dress up his…"

"My lady!" exclaimed Gwen in shock, cutting her sentence off as quickly as possible.

"If he thinks I'm wearing this, then he really is delusional!"

"You've got to be in the kitchens in fifteen minutes. You don't want to be late on your first day… The king won't be happy with you."

"I don't care," protested Morgana like a child having a tantrum. Even so, she reluctantly backed down. She knew she had to go along with this ridiculous farce or god knows what the man would think up next.

"Have a good day, Gwen. It can't be worse than mine," huffed the demoted lady as she accepted the wool cloak she was handed.

"Stay out of trouble, Morgana," Gwen called after her like a nagging mother.

"I'll try…"

Tugging the hood up to hide her features, she tucked her messy curls away as best as she could. She must look a right sight. The Lady Morgana – dressed as a commoner. If Arthur saw her like this, she'd never hear the end of it. Frustrated, she kicked a neat pile of leaves with the round toe of her new shoes, somewhat satisfied when they scattered in all directions. All she'd wanted to do was go back home to Cornwall and Uther had to take everything too far as usual. He had no right to do this to her, none at all. She couldn't believe she was letting him walk all over her.

* * *

><p>"You're late, Morgana!" barked the cook as she entered the kitchen after walking what felt like miles in the servants' passages. How was she supposed to know the way?<p>

"Sorry," she muttered.

"You will lose that attitude, young lady. I don't allow any of my other girls to show such blatant disrespect so don't you go around expecting any special privileges."

Morgana ignored her. There was no way she was being the perfect maid; that would be a step too far. It was bad enough being forced into the position as it was without losing what made her who she was altogether.

"Go and make yourself useful then, girl. The castle needs feeding. Chop chop!"

When she didn't move, the cook flapped a towel at her and she relocated over to the corner where one of the servants she vaguely recognised was scrubbing potatoes. Morgana picked up one of the smaller ones and tried to copy the technique, scrubbing with not near as much vigour as the other girls. She ended with removing the peel along with almost half of the potato, too.

As soon as the cook noticed how the former lady was slaughtering her potatoes, she stormed over and removed the knife from her hand.

"STOP! Stop it! I have to use these for dinner, not for a funeral. Is there anything you are actually able to do, you foolish girl?" she yelled at her.

_Well,_ thought Morgana, _give me a sword and I'll show you exactly what I'm capable of._ But the day had already begun so badly so she reasoned it was much better to stay silent, at least for now.

"And now it appears you have lost the ability to speak. Take those dishes to Lady Charlotte and Lady Catrina, they haven't had their meal, yet. I'm sure that even someone like you is capable of completing this simple task without wreaking havoc. And you better hope so. Because one more incident and I'll be informing his grace of your incompetence and he will not be pleased!"

_I don't give a damn what pleases Uther! He shouldn't have put me in this stupid position in the first place!_ Once again, Morgana was able to restrain herself from lashing out and simply nodded, gathering up the serving dishes and leaving the hectic kitchen.

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><p>It was quite a feat to transport the plates through the castle to the east wing where the two ladies' chambers were situated without dropping anything. Morgana was absolutely amazed at herself but especially at Gwen who could do this every day at record speed for her.<p>

Almost at the door, she took a deep breath. _Come on, Morgana, you can do this. You have slain a huge beast, saved Gwen and that stupid, ungrateful pig countless times. How hard can it be?_ Then, when she was as mentally prepared as she was ever going to be, she awkwardly pushed the door open.

"Lady Catrina, Lady Charlotte, I brought your lunch," said Morgana, looking down to stop herself dropping any scathing remarks and moving to the table to set the plates and pitchers down.

"Oh, Charlotte, look at who we have here. The _Lady Morgana_, dressed as a servant, bringing us our meal," said Catrina, turning away from her chest "How the mighty have fallen!"

"I must say, Morgana, yellow does suit you. It's almost as if you were born to be a servant," mocked Charlotte "Don't you agree, Cat?"

Morgana clenched her fist until they went white as the two girls stood on the opposite end of the table. She had never liked the two ladies, let alone now in her predicament. _Keep quiet, stay calm,_ she repeated in her head like a mantra. She would get them back for this.

"Come on! What are you waiting for? You're not a little princess anymore, you're a servant. So S-E-R-V-E us!"

"Cat is right! Hurry up! We haven't got all day! We've got better things to do that watch you stare at the floor all day!"

Morgana felt like clawing their eyes out right then and there and quickly grabbed the pitcher of water in two hands to stop herself doing something. She proceeded to fill one of the goblets for Charlotte. But Catrina, being the spiteful lady she was, swiped her hand across the table causing Morgana to pour the rest of the water over the food.

"Look at what you've done! You stupid, useless little bitch!" screamed Charlotte, pushing her harshly into the wardrobe.

"You ruined our meal! Now go back down to the kitchen and bring us something else! IMMEDIATELY!" yellowed Catrina.

But Morgana was completely beside herself in anger. She had been insulted, pushed and her pride was wounded and now she had had enough.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

Morgana felt the impact but didn't register the pain as Charlotte's hand connected with her cheek. A burning anger welled up inside her.

"You are nothing but a servant! You do not talk back to us! I want this floor sparkling by the time we return or you are going to regret it!" threatened Catrina.

"I've got a better idea! Why don't you thrust your precious meal up your arses and leave me the hell alone!" retorted Morgana, grabbing the pitcher and tipping the water over their heads.

"MORGANA! Prepare me a bath, NOW!" screamed Charlotte.

"Why don't you do it yourself? Or are you scared of breaking a nail? And if you say anything to Uther Pendragon, then I will do a hell of a lot more than that! Got it?"

With that, Morgana turned on her heel and stormed out of the chambers, slamming the door behind her. How dare they? And how dare he? She wasn't going along with this ridiculous escapade any longer. She didn't care what Uther would do!

"You don't scare me, Morgana! The king will hear about this!" shrieked Catrina


	19. A Fire Ignited Part 4

**A Fire Ignited**

(Part Four)

Morgana leaned against the cool stone of the castle. She brought a hand to her slightly swollen cheek, the throbbing registering now. A solitary tear rolled down the bruising skin before she angrily wiped it away. No-one was worth her tears; least of all them.

"Aren't you supposed to be working?" came his cocksure voice.

Hurriedly pulling her hair to cover the mark, she turned to face him and his smug smile. She didn't want him to see, to feel pity for her.

"Leave me alone, Arthur," her reply was biting.

"Come now, I know you don't like being a servant…" he began "But there is a way out."

"What makes you so sure that I'm not perfectly content?" she retorted.

"Well, you're even more sullen than usual."

"I am not SULLEN!"

"Yes, you are."

"Fine, I'm sullen. I wonder how you'd survive being a servant. God, you can't even dress yourself!"

"Careful now, Morgana. Maids have no authority to speak unless given leave to."

"I'll speak to you however I want to!"

"If you do what I say…"

"Enlighten me then, _sire_."

"Admit that I am superior to you and I'll tell father the truth and he will most definitely punish me instead."

"As tempting as it would be to see daddy's boy getting into trouble for once, I would hate to have to lie. Everyone knows that I'm superior to an arrogant child like you."

"I'm older than you."

"Well act like it! You're infuriating and pathetic and immature...!"

"Excuse me, Morgana, but you do realise to whom you address? I'm the Prince of Camelot and heir to the throne. You live in MY castle and since you have been declassed to a _mere servant _you should learn to behave properly_._"

Before she could reign in her temper, she slapped was momentarily stunned, as stunned as she was. She'd thought she'd had better self-control but she'd needed to lash out. As she was about to apologise, she stopped herself. He shouldn't have done this to her in the worst place.

"MORGANA!" thundered Uther, materialising seemingly out of no-where behind her "My chambers, NOW!"

This just got better and better…

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><p>"This cannot and will not continue, Morgana," said Uther.<br>For once she was silent. She had nothing to say to him.  
>"Your behaviour has still failed to improve."<br>"Oh, what are you going to do, send me away. Because right now I'd gladly accept any stupid marriage proposal and be gone. That's all I am to you after all, a woman with no better purpose than breeding!" she fired back.  
>"Morgana!"<br>"You keep me here like a prisoner, Uther, so no I will not keep quiet. I just can't deal with it anymore!"

"I've treated you like a daughter!"  
>"Don't lie to me or to yourself, Uther. I've never been more than a simple trophy to you; someone you could show off during banquets and feasts and someone you could marry off to some foreign noble for some pathetic political arrangement," raged Morgana "You took me in because you felt guilty for letting my father die. But I will not be locked up and humiliated by you or anyone. I'm not yours to control and it's past time you realised it!"<p>

Uther had never felt more enraged in his entire life. No-one dared to speak to him like that! Especially not some arrogant girl who thought far too highly of herself and far too lowly for her superiors. She had not yet figured out how one should behave in the world. He was the KING, for crying out loud! He would teach her to show a little gratitude and to give him and his son respect by hook or by crook.

"I don't know how many more times I have to repeat myself! I had no part in your father's death! Gorlois was a dear friend of mine, I could never hurt him on purpose!" he retorted "As for the meaning of the years you have spent under my protection, if your opinion allows you to believe that's what it was. If you really feel like your nothing more than a prized possession to me and that I do not feel any kind of affection for you, Morgana, then so be it! I would not try to change your _fine_ mind!"

"How dare…"

"But there is one thing you are wrong about, dear child," he continued, mocking "As long as you live in my castle, under my protection, then you are in MY control and ANY OTHER PERSON I DECIDE and you have no say in the matter!"

"It's my life!" spat Morgana.

"That is why from this day forward, you shall be my son's personal maidservant and if you have the audacity to cause any more trouble or I have to deal with another scene such as the one earlier, I may just decide to entrust you to the care of the executioner! Do you understand me, Morgana?"

"Of course, _Your Majesty_, I understand perfectly what my obligations are and above all what kind of love you hold for me," she said, bitterly, hurriedly exiting before Uther could make his barely veiled threats a reality.

* * *

><p>"Meerliiiiinnn!" Morgana heard the prince's shouts as soon as she came close to the Royal Prat's chambers.<p>

_Typical,_ she thought. _He can't manage himself for even a few minutes. How can I cope with him all day for god knows how long? _

Opening the door, she was greeted by the sight of him trying in vain to pull a shirt off. She coughed to hide her laughter as she made her presence known to Arthur.

"Finally, _Mer_lin! Have you spent the day at the tavern again? I swear, you are the most useless…" he complained as he continued to struggle "_Mer_lin, instead of waiting there like the idiot you are, come and make amends for your delay by helping me get dressed!"

Morgana took pity on his lost battle so she helped him out of the shirt.

"Thanks, Mer… What the heck? MORGANAAA! What the hell are you doing in my chambers?" He all but screamed when he saw her.

"Clearly I'm saving your ass again… And from what I wonder? A murderous shirt!" she burst into a fit of uncontrollable laughter.

"Yeah, very funny, Morgana!" he said, red with embarrassment "What are you really doing here? Did you come for another round or did you want to apologise for your rude behaviour?"

"Sure, Arthur, dream on! Actually, your father realised that without a nurse you're unable to function correctly as a crown prince so he sent me here to protect you from the dangers… of a bedchamber!" Her laughter started up again, just as loudly.

He must have realised something important because suddenly he spat out his mouthful of wine, choking slightly.

"Wait a minute! NURSE? That means you are stuck here with me! All day and all night!" the prince roared in anger.

"Actually, the term Uther used was maidservant. I trust you are old enough to survive without a nanny. I mean, inferior little me didn't need one past four years old!"

She watched the disgusted look on his face with amusement before turning serious again.

"Trust me, Arthur, I'm far from pleased myself but unfortunately your beloved father and the almighty King Uther has decreed it and he won't change his mind. He was really pissed off! I wonder who's fault _that _was?"

"So what? You infuriate him, as you so often do, and then I have to pay the price? I don't care what he says!"

"Well, I'm sorry, but he told me that I be your maidservant or he'll chop my head off. I quite like my head thank you very much. I could see the appeal if I were you but…" She tried to make a joke out of the situation but it required too much effort and she gave up.

"He was exaggerating!" said Arthur, rolling his eyes "I refuse to be in your presence any more than necessary!"

"Oh, come on, Arthur, I'm not that bad! We used to have fun together before you became an insufferable brat!"

"Bad? Have you never noticed that nobody apart from me and Guinevere wants to be in the same room as you unless strictly necessary?"

"I don't need anybody!" protested Morgana.

"And do you know why? Because you are an unbearable sour-faced…!"

"I am not!"

"We would gladly avoid you too but unfortunately we don't have the option! We're forced into it because she, poor her, is your maidservant and I'm stuck with you out of my father's excessive kindness! So mind if…"

But she would never know what else Arthur would yell because before the tears could fall, she turned and fled the chambers, running down a random corridor and pressing herself into an alcove, sinking to the ground; anger and sadness and loneliness bubbling over with her tears.

If anyone could see her now, she would never hear the end of it. Somehow, she found it hard to care.

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><p><span>AN - We are so sorry for the delay but we have been busy etc etc.

Thank you so so much for all the amazing and very encouraging reviews! We really appreciate them so keep them coming, please :)

Here is the next chapter from Veronica and I. We hope you enjoy it as much as the previous ones!

PS - We are in need of ideas for future chapters so leave your suggestions in a review or in a PM, please XD

Rachel xxx


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